Changes
by Jess D
Summary: The craziness of Nermia finally gets to a certain martial artist, subconciously; and its not Ranma.
1. Dreams

Changes 1:  
Dreams  
  
By Jess Dougherty  
*********************************************************  
  
Disclaimer: By all rights by law, Characters in this story belong   
to Rumiko Takashi and their respective companies. Please do not sue as   
I am a student with NO source of income or any wealth. The story   
however is something I had floating around in my head since Mousse is   
one of my favorite Ranma 1/2 characters.  
  
{Chinese speech}  
_Thoughts_  
"Japanese speech"  
  
Remember, this is my first 'published' fanfic, hope you enjoy it.   
Though if you do or don't, send flames, comments or just plain e-mail   
to:  
genryu_98@yahoo.com  
  
Until then, later.  
***********************************************************************  
  
  
The night was alive with cool breezes and millions of stars shining   
brightly in mist of the deep velvety blue sky. The stars looking like   
woven diamonds in the sky and the full large moon off to the south,   
the crowning pearl. This was the time of the day that he loved most   
because no matter where he was, the night sky looked exactly like his   
hometown.  
  
Mousse sat on the roof of his new home, which had been his home for   
the past two years. Ever since the day he decided to follow the   
woman of his dreams from his home in China to Japan. He following his   
dream and she following hers, a young man. Muu Zhuu was his name by   
birth but Mousse was the Japanese style he was growing accustomed to.   
The same could be said about his love and her, dried up old monkey of   
a great-grandmother.  
  
They were all getting used to living here or so it seems, but he   
knew better. His love as well as himself was getting tired of living   
here, they all missed the simple life of Joketsuzoku and their tribe.   
Or so he thought and felt.  
  
Time can change a person and two years can be a very drastic time   
especially for all of them and what they had been through. The time   
was small and almost insignificantly but to him it was more than   
enough. Because even through all this, they remained the same as   
they had been. Though unlike them, he had changed even more   
significantly than they had.  
  
His face contorted when he thought about his personal views on the   
past years of his life in Japan. Feeling new change within him for the   
first time ever, Muu lowered himself onto his back. His mind in pure   
jumbles trying to understand this new train of thought.  
  
_Do I really want to leave?_  
  
His mind raced with that question as it had before but not until   
now had he ever considered really answering it. Looking back up to the   
sky, Mousse started to really think about everything that had been   
happening around him. Then, before he knew it, a low black mist began   
to envelop him, surrounding him slowly but quickly.  
  
As he was thinking he never noticed the roof of the Nekohanten   
begin to disappear until all that was left was the mist. The city   
lights and everything surrounding him all over Nerima vanished. Soon   
the stars grew brighter and a tall shadow formed out of the mist he   
was on. It took on the shape of a man but it was too dark to be able   
to distinguish any of his features.  
  
Any except that it was a he with long hair, the color unknown, but   
it was tied in long and massive braided pigtail. It swished past what   
looked like the man's hips or where his belt seemed to be. As he   
stepped closer, Mousse finally felt the man behind him. Then, almost   
as quickly, Mousse noticed that he was no longer in Nerima or rather,   
the city was gone. He started to notice that everything was quite   
gone, the roof of the Nekohanten he was just on and all buildings,   
trees, etc.  
  
Feeling a little fear but relying on his martial arts training to   
keep his cool, Mousse leapt into the air. Somersaulting about three   
times, he came to land on his feet no more than eight feet than where   
he was. Two-twin katana's appeared out his arms and into his hands to   
which he now had pointed to the intruder.  
  
"Who are you?" Relying on his Japanese, he spoke. But no answer   
came from the male figure.  
  
Minutes, then hours seemed to pass and Mousse was getting rather   
angry with the stranger. That is, until he spoke.  
  
{Speak your native tongue.}  
  
To say Mousse was stunned was an understatement, deep down he was   
starting to feel a little bit worried as to what might happen to him.   
Shaking off the feeling of fear, he tried to remain as tall and proud   
on the outside as possible, calling on all his discipline. He looked   
at the stranger with contempt, his true feelings probably showing in   
his eyes were hidden by his thick lenses.  
  
The stranger just stood there looking at him without so much as   
another word until Mousse broke the silence. "Why do you wish for me   
to speak my language." He again spoke in Japanese.  
  
The stranger remained silent yet again.  
  
Time seemed to stand still until finally Mousse gave in and began   
to speak in Mandarin Chinese. {"Why you wish for me to speak in my   
native tongue? Also, how did you know?"}  
  
He spoke. {One question at a time Muu Zhuu. First, please, can you   
put away your blades?}  
  
Muu Zhuu looked at the katanas' in his hands and pondered whether or   
not to put away his blades. As he looked unto his blades, he decided   
to do as the man told him. For some unknown reason he felt as though   
he could trust this man, and put away his swords.  
  
The stranger talked again. {Thank you Muu Zhuu. Now, the reason I   
asked you to speak in your tongue was to pay you better respect. After   
all you did not spend your entire youth learning your heritage only to   
lose it while you were in Japan. Also, as to how I know, well...   
that's' my secret. For now.}  
  
{What do you mean? Secret?}  
  
The stranger became a little clearer exposing his gajin clothing   
and some physical detail. As far as Mousse could tell, the man was in   
deed a man. Standing about six foot two, his hair jet black but the   
shadows covered his face entirely. He wore loose-fitting black jeans,   
with a tight black turtle-neck along on top with a long white leather   
coat.  
  
The mans' hands were in his pockets, thus reassuring Mousse that   
the man had come here only to talk. Though, Mousse kept his shuriken   
ready in his long sleeves ready.  
  
{For now Mousse, let me have that and my identity a secret please.   
From you at the moment.}  
  
Mousse did not like this but he still could not shake that feeling   
of recognition and calmness that the man was giving him. All his   
instincts told him to watch out, that this man meant a significant   
change. To him and to the rest of his life, but he felt at ease.  
  
{Muu I wish to talk to with you at the moment. Tell me, why did you   
change?}  
  
_CHANGE?_ Mousse could not understand what this stranger was   
talking about, how had he changed? Was he still respectful to his   
love, to... his elders and superiors? Mousse got it, or so he thought.  
  
{No Muu, I mean the change from who you were as a child? You had   
great dreams and goals. Why did you change?}  
  
Mousse was in total shock, what did this man mean? And how does he   
know he changed since childhood? Had he known this man in his youth   
and cannot remember him? He still wondered though: HOW HAD HE CHANGED?  
  
The stranger began to speak again. {I mean Muu, how did you become   
the slave you are now?}  
  
{Slave?} Then it hit what 'he' was referring to, his love and   
devotion to his beloved Shampoo. Mousse began to become outraged and   
angered at the insult just thrown not to him but his love. {How dare   
you insult my...}  
  
He spoke. {Shut up Muu!} His voice barely above a whisper but the   
glow of dark purple in his eyes pretty much stopped him. Mousse   
present train of thought lost its steam as fear began to replace his   
anger.  
  
Moments went by as the two males just stood where they were, just   
staring at each other. Mousse kept regarding who this 'person' could   
be to evoke such emotion over him and for him. He kept looking into   
the shadows that covered him hoping that maybe, just maybe he'd   
recognize him. He stayed like this, just staring at him, until he   
spoke again.  
  
{Listen Muu, please.}  
  
Mousse wanted to leave but he would give this 'person' one last   
chance, also allowing him to try and figure out who he is. Mousse   
answered. {Ok.}  
  
Mousse heard a sign. {Listen Muu for I don't have time to tell you   
all but I will come again and again til you return to your real   
senses. Then maybe all of your senses will return to.}  
  
Mousse was puzzled by this.  
  
{Muu Zhuu, try to remember how and who you were before you met   
Xian Pu at the age of three. Think of the kind of boy you were, and   
the kind of man you wanted to become.}  
  
Mousse stood then but hesitated until he let himself try and see   
what this stranger was talking about. Nothing happened at first but   
then without warning, he was almost thrown back as something caught on   
to his robes and pulled him back. When the movement stopped, Muu Zhuu   
was seeing himself at the age of two.  
  
The sun was bright and the wind cool. The nearby trees blew with   
the wind as the scent of millions of flowers came with it. Muu Zhuu   
was sitting with his father, more by his knee listening to him tell   
stories. Stories of long ago males who proved their worth as warriors   
and men who could not be tamed by women. Muu Zhuu could almost picture   
himself as one of them, the great legendary males who were men but   
helped the Amazons avert disaster.  
  
Muu's father stops his reading and begins to tell him of another   
male that not recently passed away. Around the time he, Muu, was born   
and was married to sister of one of the tribal elders. A man named   
Li Kai who was an unmatched warrior and no Amazon female could tame,   
all but one. The Amazon he was married too, only because she loved him   
and he loved her.  
  
Muu Zhuu being the child he was disliked the idea of love, he felt   
that it weakened warriors, but even he knew his role in the tribe. He   
would always be less superior to the women, especially the one he   
would marry, if he married since he didn't want to. He went outside   
and he began to imagine himself as the warrior Li Kai that his father   
just told him about. He began to punch imaginary opponents in front   
and behind him.  
  
Five months pass in the blink of an eye as bandits began to try and   
raid the village. Muu Zhuu was behind his father's right leg as female   
warriors were fighting off the male bandits. He sees his mother taking   
on at least three of the men and she seems to be having a bit of a   
problem against them.  
  
His father grabs him and puts him away from his leg and tells him   
to stay where he is as he is about to help his mother. As soon as he   
leaves the hut, Mousse saw something he'd never seen his father do.   
Out of nowhere a rather large sword escapes from the fold of his white   
robes and strikes one of the bandits through his midsection. Then as   
quickly his father jumps away, no other female seeing this, especially   
his mother.  
  
His father is back by lil Muu Zhuu's side while his mother finishes   
off the remaining bandits. Within minutes the rest of the women have   
ran off the others and they all cry out in victory. Mousse notices   
that his mother is looking at his father and they are both smiling.   
She knew that his father, her husband, had just saved her.  
  
The next day we see lil Muu Zhuu is asking his father to train him   
in what he saw the other day. His father goes and asks his wife   
knowing the ways of culture he entered when he married her. Muu's   
mother says yes and he starts down the path that will lead him to   
become a master of the Hidden Weapons Martial Arts, like his father.  
  
A year passes and Muu is now three and very good with wooden   
weapons his father had made for him to learn. Muu Zhuu is walking   
outside the village throwing pulling in and out a two foot long wooden   
sword his father gave him, practicing his father's techniques. In a   
year alone he had advanced almost impossibly quick, faster than his   
own father. Muu is a master of all the wooden-weapons representing   
every weapon known to the Amazons and outsiders. But then he sees   
'her,' a little girl with long deep lavender hair practicing with a   
pair of bondari on top a boulder. His world from there changes.  
  
Muu Zhuu confronts this little girl the next day.  
  
(He is walking toward the little girl as he sees that her teacher,   
an old woman on a staff has left. Muu Zhuu is a little nervous but he   
approaches her little by little. Within seconds he is about five feet   
away. His mouth opens for him to talk but everything stops as someone   
is now standing before him. The same man who was with him earlier.)  
  
His road down memory lane is interrupted by his authoritve voice.   
{Muu Zhuu! Wake up!}  
  
Mousse is back again standing where he once was and now is again,   
in front of the stranger. He is about to speak when the stranger   
begins to talk first.  
  
{So now you remember the day everything changed.}  
  
Mousse is still confused and it shows in his face as it contorts   
with his eyebrows raising. Then he could hear an anger filled sign   
coming from the tall shadowy man.  
  
{Muu, Muu, Muu. What are you not seeing what I'm trying to show   
you? Do you at least remember how you thought before you met Shampoo?}  
  
Mousse speaks. {Yes.}  
  
The stranger signs. {Good. At least you still remember how you   
used to be.}  
  
{Yes, they were foolish dreams.}  
  
{...} Silence comes from the stranger but then a whisper comes   
from his side, though they quickly turn into shouts of rage.   
{..foolish dreams?...FOOLISH dreams...FOOLISH DREAMS???? NEVER CALL   
YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAMS FOOLISH!! You had the potential.}  
  
Now it was Mousses' turn to remain speechless for a brief moment,   
{What do you mean? Potential?}  
  
{Why do you think your father and your mother both gave you   
permission to learn the art you know? It was because they both saw the   
potential to learn such a forbidden and dangerous art as the one you   
learned. Remember it took your mother years to convince the elders to   
finally allow your father to teach the other children your art. Even   
then he did not teach them all of it to them, except you.}  
  
Mousse was truly speechless, he had wondered why by the time he was   
six so many others were taught later than him. Why he had always   
trained away those first three years of his life, earlier than   
everybody else. After those three years, every boy that wanted to   
learn could be taught. Then when he was twelve it was finally allowed   
to be used in the male Amazon tournament to which he won the next   
year at the age of thirteen, the youngest male ever.  
  
{Muu Zhuu, its time for a change. You'll still respect your betters   
but you will no longer take the abuse you take from Xian Pu. You can   
and no longer have to take it. You've been to passive to them and they   
have taken to much advantage over you. Its is no longer a place your   
being kept to but demoted to slave. You have to grow and maybe go   
away, perhaps a training trip to clear your head and get back down the   
path you had wanted to lead.}  
  
Mousse began to feel a little different now, almost as though he   
was remembering everything he was taught as a youth. EVERYTHING. Every   
law and moral of his past. His training, everything how it should have   
been had he never met Xian Pu. He would remember her but he would no   
longer have to take their abuse.  
  
He almost glowed with the change and then he fell to his knees,   
Mousse, no Muu Zhuu he was once again. He felt as though a great   
weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Getting up, he still felt   
love for Xian, but he now remembered his dignity as an Amazon male   
too.  
  
The mist began to leave as well as the stranger but Muu cried out   
to him before he disappeared.  
  
{Tell me, who are you?}  
  
The stranger smiled and walked out of the shadows to reveal Muu Zhuu   
though a little bit older. To say that the young Muu was stunned would   
have been an understatement. They both just stood there, in the   
middle of nowhere as it seems. Then the older Muu Zhuu spoke.  
  
{Remember what you have Muu Zhuu. Become the warrior you are and   
were meant to be. In reality you are better than Xian Pu. But you have   
given her too much respect and have made her spoiled for it. To defeat   
her means to bring her back to reality and remember she is good, but   
others are better. Remember she used to practice as you used to   
everyday, perhaps 'our' leaving and her defeat will change you both   
for the better, if not to survive as we all have to change.}  
  
Mousse or Muu Zhuu finally understood what his shadow was trying to   
tell him, it was time for a change.  
  
_I thought I wanted to leave, but all I would've done is run away   
from my destiny._  
  
He looked up and screamed.  
  
{I WILL CHANGE!}  
  
Then he felt a slap to his face as the sunlight filtered into his   
once closed eyes.  
  
"Wha...What?"  
  
Mousse was in his bed being propped up but his elbows seeing   
nothing but blurs. The sun touched his still sleepy eyes making his   
blurred vision worse, so in reaction he closed them. Shaking his head   
he almost felt something snap in his head. Pain washed over his eyes   
and he rubbed them furiously as he now sat up.  
  
"Get up stupid duck boy. Shampoo sent up here by Great Grandmother   
to wake up help. So Shampoo say wake up!"  
  
She emphasized her words with another slap but this time found her   
hand stopped a few inches away from Mousse. Looking at what stopped   
her, she saw that her wrist was being held tightly by Mousse's hand.   
His left still over his eyes as he spoke.  
  
{I'll be down in a minute Xian, please let me get over this pain in   
my eyes.}  
  
Shampoo became furious that Mousse was holding her hand and talking   
to her as though they were equals. Her face became red as a tomato   
and with her left hand, went to strike Mousse with a bondari over his   
head. Before her weapon even struck, Mousse threw a shuriken out of   
his pillow with his other hand that disabled Shampoo of it.  
  
With the other hand out of the way, Shampoo could see that Mousse's   
eyes were crying, but instead of tears they were tears of blood. He   
held eyes closed tightly as the light in the room hurt them still.   
Shampoo's face lit in alarm as her eyes went wide and finally   
realized that maybe Mousse was in 'real' pain.  
  
"Ayiah! What wrong with Mousse's eyes?!?!"  
  
{Argh. Nothing Xian, please just leave me be.}  
  
Shampoo didn't believe Mousse for a minute and left the room, going   
down the stairs to the kitchen as quickly as possible. Reaching the   
floor in record time, she ran for the kitchen doors already finding   
Cologne at the stove preparing the food for the day.  
  
Cologne stopped what she was doing and turned toward where her   
granddaughter just entered the kitchen. "Aw Great-granddaughter, has   
that good for nothing, lazy duck alre..."  
  
Her words stopped as she the face of Shampoo and saw worry. Her   
face began to mirror her granddaughter. "What's wrong Shampoo?"  
  
"It Mousse! Mousse's eyes bleeding!"  
  
"What?!?"  
  
With that said, Cologne moved faster than her Great-granddaughter,   
hoping on her staff up toward the attic, Mousse's room. Reaching the   
door, she slammed it open and saw Mousse was sitting upright facing   
the window. Both his arms went toward his eyes as his hands covered   
his face, his eyes in particular.  
  
"Mousse, what is wrong boy?"  
  
{Honored Elder?} Muu Zhuu spoke as he turned his head toward where   
he thought he heard Cologne speak. Facing now his mirror, his left   
hand still over his eyes he spoke. {I'm sorry to disturb you, it was   
nothing, just woke up with a... like this.} _With a whole NEW look on   
my life._  
  
Cologne noticed that Mousse was still covering his eyes and hopped   
over toward where he was facing. Stopping there for a moment, she   
continued to hop, not making a sound but Mousse now acknowledging her   
presence and movement. She did not miss this but put it aside for   
later investigation.  
  
Finally in front of Mousse, she blocked the rays of the incoming   
sun and noticed his face soften with the darkness. Looking up toward   
to Shampoo, she motioned for her to close the window in the room.   
Shampoo did as she was told. As Shampoo moved around to close the   
shades, Cologne took another notice that Mousse knew that Shampoo was   
walking around the bed. She found this now most intriguing.  
  
"Muu Zhuu, tell me. What happened here?"  
  
Muu Zhuu was a bit stunned to hear Cologne use his Chinese name and   
pronounced it with a bit of what sounded like respect. So, he decided   
to calm himself and answer the Matriarch.  
  
{Elder, for some unknown reason I awoke with pain in my eyes after   
I had... it just pained me when I was awakened that is all. As for the   
blood, I have nothing to answer you with, it was just like this as I   
tried to open my eyes.}  
  
This surprised Cologne that Mousse would use her official title and   
not her name as he had for the past two years since they arrived in   
Nerima. Though what she also noted was that he stopped short of saying   
something else. She decided to continue speaking to him and Shampoo in   
their native tongue.  
  
{Tell me Muu, what were just about to say?}  
  
{Uh...}  
  
{Muu Zhuu?}  
  
{It started hurting after I awakened by Shampoo after an unusual   
dream I just had.} He sounded a bit more timative than usual.  
  
{Tell me about it.}  
  
{I cannot Elder.}  
  
{Why not?}  
  
Muu Zhuu remained silent for a moment remembering everything he had   
learned in his dream. Remembering that it was time for a change,   
perhaps this was a part of it. _No time like the present. Gotta make   
plans though._  
  
{Please Elder, allow me to tell you later in private. Please, can   
you first examine my eyes.} He whispered to her.  
  
Cologne nodded and respected Mousse. It had been a long time he had   
shown any respect to her and which is why she hadn't shown none to   
him. She guessed it was time to change for the moment to help this   
young Amazon, though male, still under her care. She nodded and   
whispered back to Mousse. {Ok, young Amazon. I will respect your   
wishes if you promise to keep your own words.}  
  
Mousse nodded back to her and she started to hop back to get a   
better look at his eyes. She asked Shampoo to stand by the doorway in   
case she was going to need any of her herbs and medicine to help him.   
She hated to admit this but she had a soft spot for the boy as she   
felt a grandmotherly role on him, strict with the role of being   
another mother to him. To try and make him show some respect for her   
and his superiors.  
  
In truth, when Mousse was little she had hoped that he and Shampoo   
would've married as their friendship had grown strong. She had even   
seen a fire in his eyes of an undefeatable warrior as she had seen   
in her sisters' husband. Yet the boy had seemed to have lost it when   
he let his love cloud his judgment and weaken him. Sure their were   
times he had shown that light again time and time again, but never   
did stay burning long after.  
  
The reason she approved of Ranma was because he too had that same   
spark she had seen with Mousse. The difference was that his was on   
almost twenty-four hours a day. It never left him especially around   
the Tendo girl he was 'officially' engaged too. It was a shame that he   
showed great disrespect for her laws and ways. She had at first   
thought she could change him; in the tricks, training, and other   
times, but no such luck.  
  
_Hmm. Maybe his name does truly suit him. Wild Horse! Indeed._   
Noticing Mousse, she acknowledged she had let her thoughts get the   
better of her. _Time to get back to business._  
  
Cleaning out the dried blood that had covered his eyelids, Cologne   
spoke. "Ok Mousse, open your eyes. Slowly, please."  
  
Mousse did as he was told and had to close his eyes quickly as the   
light felt as though it were piercing needles. But he did not let that   
stop him. Blinking a few more times he tried and tried to open them   
and within moments he had them open entirely. Unfortunately he still   
saw darkness, though that was because of the room.  
  
Cologne nearly gasped when she saw Mousse's eyes. His spark had all   
of sudden become a burning bonfire. She could see that whatever he   
had dreamed had had a profound affect on the young lad. Then almost as   
quickly, the fire resumed its spark nature as it died down but did not   
diminish as it had before.  
  
Mousse spoke. {Elder, Cologne, can you please open the shades to   
the room, I'd like to see with the light on. Or am I blind?}  
  
Cologne nearly lost it to that one, she could tell he was joking   
but it was a good one. "No Mousse, you are not blind." Turning over to   
look at her great-granddaughter, she made a suggestion to open the   
curtains. Shampoo did as she was told.  
  
When the curtains opened, Mousse noticed something almost   
immediately, he could see. He could see as clear as the day, as he had   
been able to before he was three, before he... met Xian Pu, Shampoo.   
He looked down and began to wonder something, had his love blinded   
him like this? Not knowing what to day, he did the only thing quickly   
he could think off, as well as allow him to help him with this.  
  
As he moved away, Cologne wondered if the light was still affecting   
him in some way. She knew of no herb or medicine that she had that   
could help Mousse. The only things she had were for other uses and   
none seemed to connect with him. She did the only thing possible.  
  
"Mousse, you are going to Dr. Tofu's. None of what had happened to   
you at this moment is of what I know of. Maybe... the good doctor can   
help you." Cologne ordinarily hated modern medicine but she had to   
recognize its uses. Especially when it came to Dr. Tofu, he used the   
ways of the old and mixed them with the ways of the new. A good   
combination in her book.  
  
Just as Mousse had wanted, he nodded and went for his robes with   
his eyes closed, trying to remember if it was still where he had left   
it last night. Cologne beat him to it, she threw it to him. What he   
managed to see was that Cologne had thrown him one of his less used   
robes, a deep black silk robe. This was one of his more dangerous   
robes since in it contained most of his bladed weapons; spears,   
swords, shuriken, etc. He didn't mind though, he had no reason to use   
them and kept quiet as he began to dress in this solid black robe.  
  
"Get dressed Mousse. Shampoo!" Shampoo looked directly at her   
great-grandmother and waited for her order.  
  
"Please take Mousse over to the Tofu's office, please."  
  
She almost groaned at the thought but kept it to herself. So she   
answered her with a nod and, "Yes Great-Grandmother." With that   
said Cologne left to proceed to go and open the Nekohanten.  
  
Looking over to Mousse she spoke. "Come stupid Mousse. Shampoo have   
to take you to Dr. Tofu, so move lazy butt."  
  
Mousse put on his robe and quickly took out a pair of sunglasses   
out of his sleeve, along with a leather thong. Putting on his   
sunglasses, he proceeded to tie in the thong, pulling all of his hair   
back into a nice long ponytail. This almost made him look like a   
totally different person, almost looking a lot like Ranma.  
  
Shampoo was stunned with his new look and spoke. "Why Mousse do   
that?"  
  
{Do what Xian?}  
  
This only increased Shampoo astonishment, that he had answered her   
decently without his usual words of love or calling her beloved. That   
he had called her by her real Chinese name. Shaking out of it, she   
continued. "Forget it Mousse, time to take you to doctor."  
  
She grabbed his arm and took him down the stairs, then out through   
the front doors of the restaurant. Cologne too was taken back by   
Mousse's new look when he passed her. It was already seven and the   
breakfast crowd was barely gathering, so far she had had two young   
men in business suits. There never was too much of a crowd as no one   
wanted ramen for breakfast anyway. Though this time even the calm   
suits were too stunned by his appearance. They were regulars.  
  
The one in a grey suit spoke over to Cologne as though he knew her.   
"Isn't that the young boy who usually helps out here? Mousse I think   
his name is."  
  
Cologne was in so a state of shock she answered without even   
knowing. "Yes."  
  
She started to think out this new turn of events and what they   
could mean.  
  
To be continued...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Author's note: Well guys and gals, what do you think? Remember to send   
the flames and what other to the above stated address.  
  
Oh yeah, if your wondering why there's' no posted tease for the next   
part, its because I usually write of the top of the bat. In other   
words I just wing it. Later.  



	2. Discussions and Decisions

Changes 2:  
Discussions and Decisions  
  
by Jess Dougherty  
*********************************************************  
  
Disclaimer: Same as the one in the first chapter, I don't own any   
of these characters or claim to do so. They all belong to Rumiko   
Takashi and their respective company. So, stop reading this and on   
with the story!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Shampoo had been leading Mousse by his sleeve, which was starting   
to bother her, since he had started acting unusual. His new choice of   
style was not what had done this, but his attitude. It had already   
been ten minutes since they had left the Nekohanten and has been   
eerily quiet the whole time. He had not once said anything to her like   
his old self as he had always done for the past two years since   
arriving.  
  
Her nerves were starting to wear thin since this is not what she   
normally was used to. Her face was becoming red and contorted with   
rage that lay buried underneath her skin. Five more minutes passed by   
but it wasn't this alone that made her angry, young women were staring   
at Mousse as they walked. She had heard their whispers of them looking   
like a nice young couple or that he looked handsome. That, was   
starting to get to her and she finally let it out.  
  
"Mousse starting to get on Shampoo's nerves!!!" She let go of his   
sleeve, turning around to face him as she shouted.  
  
{Excuse me Xian, but why do you say that?}  
  
"Mousse talk normal or Shampoo no talk to Mousse at all."  
  
This caught Mousse by surprise. {What do you mean talk normal Xian?   
I am talking to you in mandarin Chinese, our home's language if I   
remember correctly. So what do you mean by normal?}  
  
"Shampoo mean you should talk in Japanese, after all Shampoo and   
Mousse still in Japan. So Mousse talk normal." She had lost some of   
her anger as Mousse had pointed out to her how he was talking to her.   
He was showing her great respect by not talking to her in an outsiders   
language but by their native tongue.  
  
"Ok Shampoo, if you'd like for me to do so." He said this with no   
hint of the amount of feelings like he used to. Instead he had   
answered her as a regular person trying to have a conversation with   
her.  
  
This got Shampoo's attention, she had expected for him to react   
hurt in an over-reacting way, or in any way he had before today. She   
had expected the 'old' Mousse to talk to her. What was happening here?  
  
"Mousse, tell Shampoo why you acting like this?" She said this with   
a hint of worry.  
  
"Its simple Shampoo, but I can't tell you just yet as to why.   
Please respect this answer and take me to Dr. Tofu, please?"  
  
Shampoo hesitated for a while as she hated not knowing why her   
best friend had changed so much. She reacted to his question and did   
so as he had asked of her, also because her great-grandmother had also   
asked her of this. Cologne would need her help soon enough, she'd have   
to hurry. She started to think as she led him to Dr. Tofu's office.  
  
_Why is Muu Zhuu acting like this? Have I done something?_ It   
started to hit her as to all the 'somethings' she had done to him in   
the past. Her abuse as some might say, but she put a halt to it, not   
wanting to remember any further. _Is that why he is acting like this,   
so... no he would never have reacted like this, he hasn't before   
anyway, why would he now?_  
  
Looking back to Mousse she could see that his face was in an   
stone cold expression, completely devoid of emotion as his eyes were   
covered by his sunglasses.  
  
_He does look a bit more handsome than usual._ This thought caught   
her by surprise and she turned around more quickly. _WHAT AM I   
THINKING?!? This is Mousse I'm thinking about, not Ranma. But... he   
does look... a little... uh, different._  
  
Shampoo started to wonder is she was still sane for thinking like   
this about Mousse, her best friend and annoying suitor. Shaking   
herself at this point, she tried to stop her train of thoughts and do   
as she had been asked. She continued to lead Mousse up toward Tofu's.  
  
Some thirty feet away though, was one of Nabiki's informants and   
he couldn't help but notice Shampoo leading a stranger somewhere.   
Having seen the young Amazon before on jobs for Nabiki, he knew   
exactly who she was and what info his 'boss' wanted out of him. To him   
this looked like a major bonus time.  
  
Taking out his camera, he managed to get of a shot of Shampoo   
leading this young man by the sleeve. Or in this case, made it look   
like by the hand.  
  
As he finished taking at least three quick shot photos, the young   
man spoke as he smiled. "Jackpot."  
  
***  
  
Hours later...  
  
Nabiki was sitting under the tree in front of the school, as she   
had before during lunchtime, with Ranma and Akane. Though as usual,   
they were both at each others throats, in a matter of speaking. The   
chorus of their insults rang true through the air from one another as   
Akane was angry, still, from yesterday when he wouldn't eat her   
'stew.'  
  
In more truer terms, it looked more like primordial slime, the   
stuff life on earth began with, than eatable food. But, she stayed as   
calm as always, her eyes closed and ignoring their constant bickering.   
She wasn't much of a martial artist, having given up the art when her   
mother died like Kasumi. Though one thing that still paid in her   
earlier training is the extra 'sense' she had acquired. That helped   
her a lot of times, especially in her business of choice.  
  
True to its words, she began to feel a tingle, meaning news of   
GREAT importance was coming her way at any moment. True to its feel   
again, Nabiki opened her eyes slightly as she saw her most valuable   
'agent,' of sorts, at least most reliable, coming toward her.  
  
'Kaji' was the name she had given him for no other reason than to   
have a codename when handling business. He stood at an even height of   
six feet, with short, brown, spiky-like hair. His eyes were of deep   
emerald green color with relatively roguish features that could blend   
easily with the crowd. That's' what he was paid for and he was the   
best at it.   
  
It was the same young man that had captured in photo Shampoo,   
leading an unrecognizable male youth, toward Dr. Tofu's clinic. As he   
was closing in on Nabiki, he noted her eyes opening and her head   
tilting off to the side. That meant she wanted to conduct business off   
in private, like she always did.  
  
He nodded and headed off toward where she had pointed.  
  
Nabiki turned around to Ranma and her little sister, excused   
herself and left. Ranma and Akane both had a surprised look on their   
face but it quickly changed as he noticed he hadn't touched his bento.   
That meaning he hadn't touched Kasumi's prepared lunch. Within seconds   
he was in warp mode as he ate. Akane came out of her shock and had a   
look of disgust as she saw. Then all went back in regular mood as off   
in the distance as certain yell came.  
  
"RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!!!!!"  
  
Then a familiar bandanna aquapigmorphic was clearly seen in a   
flying heading directly toward the pigtailed martial artist. Sounds of   
a fight could clearly been heard of in the distance.  
  
Nabiki got to her informant and to any bystander that may be   
nearby, they talked of from a distance. Nabiki having a familiar   
feline smile as she looked at what the man had handed to her. They   
looked like photos, but who can tell right?  
  
She took out some yen from probably the same place Akane took out   
her mallet and paid the man. He looked extremely happy but calmed   
himself quickly as he put the money away. Both their faces were as   
though nothing of great importance had happened. They nodded to each   
other and both went their separate ways.  
  
Nabiki was heading back to Ranma and Akane with only a few minutes   
of the lunch bell to spare. Ryoga had lost himself in the fight, as   
always and was last seen heading north, toward Tokyo. As she walked   
over, Nabiki was already calculating how much she would try and, in   
the end, get from Ranma. The idea of someone out there that can   
attract Shampoo other than him will definitely come in handy,   
especially if that someone was who she thought she recognized.  
  
The bell struck and she saw that Ranma grabbed Akane by the waist   
and jump toward the third story window, their class. He sure didn't   
wanna be late, though by the look on her sisters face, it meant   
trouble for the martial artist. But that was another time.  
  
***  
  
Some street...  
  
Mousse, as he was called by the people he knew in Nerima, was   
walking back to the Nekohanten and was only a few yards away. In his   
right hand he held a large fighting staff made of oak, one he had   
been given by his father. It had a nice golden surface and it was at   
least six feet tall, almost half a foot taller than him. He remembered   
his father telling him it had been given to him by a gaijin he had   
made friends with in his youth.  
  
It was one of his earlier weapons, one he cherished since it was   
one of the last things given to him by his father. He loved practicing   
how he could hide in it with his other weapons, but he had managed.   
Even how he did it was a mystery to him. But what was on his mind, was   
the conversation he had had with Dr. Tofu Ono.  
  
Flashback  
  
Shampoo had left quickly after leaving him and he was happy she had,  
this meant that his newfound 'gift' would be a secret to himself. Also   
to the Tofu-sensei as well.  
  
"This is remarkable Mousse," Dr. Tofu spoke as he examined his eyes   
for anything strange, "how did this happen?"  
  
The doctor sounded both excited and worried for Mousse as he   
checked everything he could. Considering what Shampoo had told him   
about how he woke up with sharp pain and crying blood, he had   
questions.  
  
{Dr. Tofu, I have no idea what happened to cause, this except for a   
dream I had last night.}  
  
Tofu understood Mandarin, considering he did most of his ancient   
medicine studies in China. He noted the seriousness and worry in   
Mousse's voice, so he began to act like the neutral man he was   
occasionally like.  
  
{Tell me about the dream Muu Zhuu.}  
  
Mousse then proceeded to tell him of the revelations he had in his   
dream. The remembrance of old promises and one time goals he had as a   
child but had forgotten. He told him how he had finally seen that he   
was not being treated all that well by Shampoo or Cologne. That he   
finally saw he was being treated worse than males in his village. That   
he now was his old self, the person he was before Nerima, before Ranma,  
before Shampoo. Then he told him that the person in his dreams were   
none other than himself. Then that afterward he awoke with the pain   
that led to his newfound sight.  
  
{I see. Muu, I think I know what happened to you. I think that   
you somehow caused yourself to become as bad sighted as you once were.}  
  
Mousse was puzzled by this new bit of information. {What do you   
mean Dr. Tofu?}  
  
{Please, call me Ono for now.}  
  
{Okay Ono-sensei. What do you mean by what you said?}  
  
{What I mean Muu, is let me first ask you a question. Did your   
father ever begin to teach you any forms of chi attacks when you were   
young?}  
  
{Yes. At the age of three he was starting to teach me to have   
better control over my weapons and self-discipline. To increase my   
action/reaction time with the weapons by strengthening my chi as well   
as my ki.}  
  
{Then that might explain it. Tell me Muu, when did you start to   
have vision problems?}  
  
This further confused Mousse, he was trying to see where the good   
doctor was leading. {At the age of three Ono-sensei.}  
  
{Then my theory is correct! You said you met Xian Pu a little after   
turning three, right?}  
  
{Yes. You don't mean that she caused my bad eyesight? That Khun Lon   
might've put a spell of sorts on me?}  
  
Tofu laughed at that. {No Mousse, what I mean is that Xian Pu was   
in a way an indirect source of your mind.}  
  
{Huh?!?}  
  
{What I mean to say, she was the key but you were the one who   
started the machine.}  
  
{What?!?}  
  
{Muu Zhuu, you ever heard of the saying: Love can blind you?}  
  
{Yes. But what does that have to... you mean... I did this to   
myself.}  
  
{In a matter of speaking Muu, yes.}  
  
{But how?}  
  
{You, in some way, made your own chi take a solid form of some kind   
of a blindfold over your eyes. No one but you could feel its affects   
or see it, or in your case, not see it well. Tell me Muu, in a true   
fight, can you beat Xain?}  
  
Mousse stood quiet for a few seconds as she took in the information   
but he had always asked himself, in a way anyway, that question. In a   
true fight of the test of who is a superior fighter, no hands down he   
was better. He had the combination of a true martial artist, he was a   
great hand-to-hand fighter and an even better weapons fighter. His   
own father had told him once: To be a master martial artist, you must   
know your fighting, both unarmed and armed. The Yin-Yang of a true   
warrior.  
  
He knew what his father was talking about in that moment and could   
base it to any moment in his life, any fight, anything. Armed; cool   
and collected. Unarmed; irrational and emotional.  
  
The answer, it was simple now that he had changed; yes. In his past   
it was uncertain because he made himself weak, now?  
  
{Yes.}  
  
Tofu began to smile until Mousse spoke up.  
  
{Though now, I'm not sure I still want to.}  
  
{Muu?} Tofu began to speak as he saw Mousse's change of attitude   
toward what had been his one goal in life.  
  
Mousse turned to face the doctor and continued on. {Ono-sensei, you   
have brought more to my attention than I had seen in my dream. More   
that even my double had said I would discover in my new path. But now   
I see something else...}  
  
He began to shake with some rage and anger but he kept himself cool   
remembering his fathers' words. He was now armed and controlled.  
  
{I see everything that I had blinded myself too. All the cruelty   
done not just to me but not all theirs but most my own. I think its   
time for a change in my life.}  
  
Turning to face Dr. Tofu, Mousse spoke," {Dr. Tofu, can you please   
keep my renewed eyesight a secret for now? Please?}  
  
The doctor nodded and said, "Yes."  
  
END of Flashback  
  
Mousse was walking down the path to the Nekohanten wearing still   
his sunglasses he had put on that morning. With the large staff he   
made it look as though he was blind but that was just an act. The   
doctor had helped out with a plan to help him convince others that he   
still saw like he used. In his right pocket were the non-prescription,   
just plain glass glasses he had given him to help with the charade.  
  
They looked like his normal pair of bottle-thick frames but they   
were just plain glass, like looking out through a window. He took them   
out and ducked into an alley to get a good look at them. He noticed   
almost as quickly that they were in fact an exact double of his old   
glasses. He took off his sunglasses and put on his new frames to get a   
good feel of them, and he was right.  
  
"Just like looking through a window," he whispered.  
  
He took them off and put them back into his pocket. Now wasn't the   
time to put them on as he had to pretend he couldn't see. He needed   
time to figure out some answers like if he still loved Shampoo or   
could he ever love her after all the abuse she had given him for so   
long.  
  
Touching his tied hair, he wondered if he should keep like this or   
let loose like it used to. Time passed but he soon came back to   
reality and took out his watch. He noticed that had already missed out   
helping not only the breakfast hour but also the lunch. That definitely  
meant a sever punishment, unless...  
  
He wondered and knew his new choice to pretend could help him out   
again here and now. Putting back on his sunglasses he let his hair   
remain tied and decided to wonder about that later on. Placing his   
fighting staff out in front he left the alley and continued on walking   
toward the 'Cat Cafe,' his home and job.  
  
As he walked he started to think. _Hm, never knew I could be so   
resourceful when I use my head instead of my heart all the time.   
Wonder if of a little of Xian Pu and Khun Lon might be rubbing off on   
me?_  
  
He smiled at that thought and then spoke. "Nah!!!!!"  
  
  
***  
  
The Nekohanten...  
  
Cologne looked at the clock and wondered when that good for nothing   
Mousse would be back. He had already missed almost six hours of work   
and had yet to return. She started to wonder if it was a good idea for   
her to have sent off to the young Doctor that had helped Ranma stop   
most of her plots to get him.  
  
Then there was a noise in front of her as the bell by the door to   
signify customers chimed. She waited for her great-granddaughter to   
show the person around and hear her sweet voice as she did her job   
like she was supposed to. Unlike Mousse.  
  
Though instead she heard her great-granddaughter yell out a name   
instead. "Ayiah, Mousse. You back already."  
  
Cologne went over to the door separating the kitchen and the dining   
area where the customers ate and took a peek. She noticed that Mousse   
was being guided in by a large staff, one she had seen before long   
ago. Also that his hair was still tied back with his shades still on   
making him look as different as it had that morning. She couldn't   
help but notice that it did in fact make him look much more...   
confident.  
  
Noting that most of the people had gone off except for one man who   
was sitting with his back to them and eating his ramen. She felt   
something coming of from him but nothing dangerous. She ignored him   
and hopped over to Mousse.  
  
"So boy, what did the doctor say about your eyes?"  
  
Mousse remembered his little 'speech' he had worked out with Tofu-  
sensei and said it. "Dr. Tofu simply said it was nothing out of the   
ordinary, only that a blood vessel near my eye ruptured. I'll be   
momentarily blinded for the rest of the day. He said I should return   
to normal by tonight or tomorrow morning. Nothing to be alarmed about,   
that's' all."  
  
Cologne took in the information, feeling nothing coming from him to   
say that he was lying and nodded. "Good, you should know this place   
from head to toe by memory, so get to work. You'll be mopping the   
kitchen, dusting and sweeping the storage room,...." And so forth she   
continued down the list.  
  
Meanwhile the man that was still there was the same short brown   
haired male that had taken a pictures earlier. Now he had his   
recording device out and pointed at Mousse and the other two Amazons.   
Finally finished, he got up, left some yen to pay for his meal and   
walked out the front door.  
  
Mousse noticed that man that had just left and couldn't help but   
feel he had seen him somewhere before. He shrugged off while still   
maintaining the look of a momentarily blind person. Putting away his   
staff, he went for the stairs with his hands stretch out, as to feel   
his way to the stairs. What surprised him though was the feel of two   
small soft hands grabbing his. Then they led him to the stairs, one to   
the rail and the other to the wall to steady himself.  
  
The person moved to go back to work but he had captured a glimpse   
of the person's hair. It was of a deep violet color that hung free and   
long in the air like wave of energy. A part of his old personality   
threatened to come out and want to glomp her, but he remembered. He   
remembered her cruelty and abuse and it stopped, he didn't feel as   
angry as he had the morning. Though he hadn't totally forgiven her or   
himself, that was why he remembered what he did, to stop and break the   
cycle.  
  
Standing there momentarily, he stopped his thinking and then went   
on to climb up the stairs toward his room.  
  
Shampoo couldn't help but take a little glance at Mousse as he was   
feeling his way up the stairs. She never did hate him as much as she   
told him, but honor damned that she marry the man that had beaten her.   
In fact, living with him this past three years had changed her view of   
him. Turning back to doing her job, her mind began to wonder of the   
times in the past he had been there for her.  
  
Shampoo hated those times from her age of three up until now,   
every time he had glomped onto her. Everytime he was always annoying   
her with his yells and bellows of professing his love to her. But there  
were times she really loved him being around.  
  
The times when he offered advice or helped her train to become the   
best she was. There were also those time when he showed great strength   
and will. Like the time he had saved her from Torristan, the bird man,   
from when they were on the island of Togenkyo*. She really liked him   
at those times, unfortunately they were few in number, not at first but  
as time went on for both of them.  
  
When she was thirteen and he had been a good friend to her during   
her time training for the Female's tournament. She had actually   
commented to herself how handsome he was even with his glasses on. But   
he caught her looking at him and he turned into the unbearable joke he   
was most of the times. She had been so angry she had lost her first   
match in the tournament. He on the other hand had managed to become the  
Male's village champion and getting in good graces with the village   
elders for he was the youngest ever to receive the title.  
  
She was always a little tough on him but after that year, she had   
gotten more tougher on him. He still continued on to keep winning the   
title year after year as she did from the age of fourteen and on. That   
still made her the youngest female ever, but Mousse had beaten her by   
one year, she never forgave him for that. Even though they were both   
considered the best of their generation because they were the best of   
the best.  
  
Though she had noticed a change in him since that morning, ever   
since she had seen his new look, with his hair pulled back. It was   
then that she remembered he used to wear it like he had it now, before   
she met him at the age of three. She recalled all the good times they   
had had but also felt the familiar rush she used to have when she   
first saw him as a handsome man at the age of thirteen. Though this   
time she kept it to herself, she already loved Ranma... or did she?  
  
She shook herself again trying to stop her thoughts before they   
went to far. Ask questions she didn't wanna answer to even herself   
and went back to doing her job.  
  
Up in the attic that Mousse called his room, he took off his silk   
black robe and went for one of his other black robes. He took one out   
and stared at it for a while. He had rarely used the one in his hands   
for one good reason, it had no sleeves. Not to mention that what he   
had in this one were mostly all bladed weapons. In this one it was a   
twin pair of katanas, another sword much like Shampoo's, a couple of   
spears, long knives, stars, and more shuriken. In other words, in all   
his black robes he chose weapons of death to hide in, plus the color   
showed their purpose.  
  
Slowly and very carefully he removed everything in them except the   
twin katana, the shuriken, and bladed tip chains. He replaced the rest   
of his weapons with the weapons he was given by Torristan, the   
Birdman. They were about thirty black feather darts. He remembered the   
day after Ranma had defeated Prince Toma, and the joyous times they   
all spent the next three weeks. Mostly because the island took its   
time in floating in the direction, back to Japan.  
  
Torristan in respect to him for defeating him had trained in the   
use of the darts and their use. He had learned the paralysis points   
all to well and when time came to leave, he had given this as a   
remembrance of their training and friendship. Mousse had eventually   
added about fifty or so more darts considering he turned into a duck,   
therefore adding more to his arsenal.  
  
These weapons weren't as lethal as the rest he had carried and he   
didn't need the extra attachment of sleeves to use them. He could pull   
them out in a moments notice and un-noticeable at any moment. Plus his   
skills in hand-to-hand combat and martial arts had grown over the   
years. Especially considering the place where he lived and with whom he  
was company of nearby. He could honestly say that he was as good as   
Shampoo, it not Ukyou or maybe better. Almost at the rank, if there   
were any, the third best martial artist in Nerima. He stopped himself   
there and shook out the rest of his thoughts as he continued to hide   
in a few more none lethal but painful weapons.  
  
Finished dressing he looked himself in the mirror over by the far   
wall as he was leaving. He had it there mostly as hope that one day he   
would have good eyesight and his prayers had finally been answered. He   
gave himself a once over and noticed that he was much more in shape   
than he thought. A look at his now exposed arms told him that they had   
as much strength in them as Ranma, if not Ryoga. Though that was   
mostly wishful thinking. He shook his head at the last thought as he   
looked down with a happy smirk on his face.  
  
Putting his shades back on, he went down as though he indeed in   
fact know the Nekohanten like the back of his hand. His still tightly   
tied ponytail waving behind him, as he moved around with more grace   
than he had ever shown before. Over his eyes were the same shades that   
he had warn all morning, allowing his eyes to be concealed.  
  
He heard the gasp he had been expecting to hear coming from the   
farther corner where he knew Shampoo would be. Though the sound of   
dishes crashing from the kitchen made him jump and flip through the   
air. His twin katanas were drawn in an instant and pointing directly   
from where he had heard the noise. He kept his eyes still in order to   
keep the blind act up, and to further push the envelope.  
  
"Who's there?"  
  
Cologne had been shocked once by Mousse when she saw his new look   
that morning but now his brand newer look caught her by surprise yet   
again. Then to see a quickness and grace she had never expected to   
come form Mousse came next. When she heard him ask for who was there   
confirmed to her that he still couldn't see.  
  
"Its alright Mousse, I just dropped a dish I was using for cooking."  
  
Mousse rose as he put away his katana and bowed. "Sorry Elder, I   
didn't se... know it was you. Forgive me for my reaction."  
  
Cologne accepted his apology but kept it to herself that he even   
showed any respect. Normally he would've disrespected her by mumbling   
what almost always said, something along the lines of mummy monkey.   
Turning back to the dishes, couldn't help but recall a drastic   
change in him, from his manners to his appearance and now his skills.   
Almost as though he had changed from that one night to a whole new and   
other person. She wondered if he had been possessed.  
  
Her thoughts kept her busy most of the day, until the after school   
rush came. Shampoo and she, had the food ready and cooked in time to   
make a large profit. Cologne also noticed when Nabiki came in through   
the front door and saw her shocked expression when she caught sight of   
Mousse. Though the shock did not last, almost as though... she had   
expected it but not this much.  
  
_Should've known that girl would've heard something sooner about   
what happened to Mousse. But, how much did she know?_ Her thoughts   
raced as the crowd started to grow with passing moments.  
  
When Nabiki left though, not more than an hour had passed that the   
evening crowd started to even out. Half the people in the Nekohanten   
were either male or female. This meant that word of Mousse's new   
'attitude' and 'look' had passed via Nabiki Corp. News.  
  
Cologne didn't complain, to her this meant more money for   
expanses into fixing the cafe up, but it had its problems. It also   
meant not enough time to hatch up a plan to snare son-in-law.  
  
Shampoo and Mousse however were too busy to think anything about,   
all except Shampoo that was.  
  
{_Why didn't Ranma come and see me today? He didn't even come   
after school to see me._} Looking around the crowded room and then the   
clock told her something. {_Ayiah. Look at the time, if Akane is   
making dinner then Arien must've gone to Ukyou. Damn this._}  
  
Looking over to the other side where Mousse was handling the rush   
of business with ease, she did notice he had the occasional near   
stumble. To her it meant that his sight must be coming back already.   
Though she grimaced when she noticed that he blushed and had to   
compose himself from running. Then she saw why as a girl about her age   
in a group of giggling girls pulled back her hand from where Mousse's   
butt used to be.  
  
For some reason she couldn't help but get a little angry or was it   
a little jealous? Shaking her thoughts she amended that it was anger   
that the girls would take advantage of a male like that. And so on   
went most of the night.  
  
When time came to close, Mousse was taking off his sunglasses and   
putting up an act of quick healing. Putting on the 'special' glasses   
that Tofu had given him, it looked as though Mousse was back to his   
normal self. He actually caught a glimpse of Shampoo pouting when he   
put away the sunglasses.  
  
Looking around, he got down to cleaning with his back to her and   
the broom in his hand. Deep down he was in a bit of conflict over what   
he had seen the day. In conflict whether he should be angry at Shampoo   
for causing so much pain all this time or happy that she was finally   
noticing him. He just didn't know.  
  
Shampoo was in a similar struggle herself as her thoughts ran back   
and forth between pictures of her and Ranma or her and Mousse. Her   
thoughts almost went completely to Ranma when she saw him put on his   
glasses back on. But they changed back when she saw that he was still   
not acting his normal self. She also couldn't help notice the form of   
a frosty blue aura around him, faint but noticeable.  
  
Cologne looked on with her face trying to understand this new   
change of events looking at the two youths.  
  
"Hmmmmm?"  
  
To be continued...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Well, won't bother with the same thing as before but just to say   
something, you can see I tried adding a few things. What Ranma 1/2   
character story can be made without at least mentioning and making a   
small appearance by the infamous pig-tailed martial artist, right?   
Well, can't wait to see what people said about this one, later.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
*(NOTE): For those of u who don't know what I'm talking about,   
check out;   
Ranma Movie 2 'Nihao My Concubine'  



	3. Unpredictable Re-Actions

Changes 3:  
Unpredictable Re-Actions  
  
by Jess Dougherty  
*********************************************************  
  
Disclaimer: Same as the last time, on the with reading...  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Mousse stood up and looked around his surroundings as he soon   
realized he wasn't in Nerima anymore. The 'space' he was in at the   
moment was wide and almost eternity in reach. It only seemed go on   
and on in every direction. He could not tell which way was which.  
  
Looking at himself, he realized he was dressed again in his old   
cloths. Same long white Chinese robe, black loose pants, kung-fu style   
shoes, but... one thing was different.  
  
He hadn't realized it till just now, but his symbol that has been   
woven into everyone of his robes was gone. The diamond symbol that   
used to be on the center of his chest was no more. What was in its   
place was some sort of unrecognizable smudge.  
  
His eyes tried to focus in to the 'stain' but it seemed to moving   
every time he almost got a close look. His right hand went to touch it   
but it moved, always at the spot where he would connect.  
  
Groaning in frustration he made several attempts more to touch and   
when it seemed he was finally do it. He was hit in the hand by a   
wooden knife.  
  
"Ouch."  
  
Rubbing his hand, he looked down and saw the wooden weapon. It was   
familiar so he bent down to grab it. As he did, he never saw that the   
emptiness surrounding him filtered as it waved and moved and started   
to take shape. Rays of sunlight started to break in and the shadows   
were moving and changing into blue skies, green trees and a most   
beautiful sight of nature.  
  
It was when he touched the knife and brought up with him as he rose   
and straightened himself that he realized he was looking at the   
ground. An actual dirt road, to be more exact.  
  
"What the...?"  
  
He turned every which way as the surroundings started to look   
familiar, a real strong feeling of deja-vu taking its effect. But its   
effect was taken away when he heard a noise.  
  
Mousse got into a ready stance, the wooden knife being twisted into   
combat mode in his hand, he waited.  
  
The noise started to alter in a way, to the sound of... footsteps.   
It went on as they immediately stopped and before his stood a nine   
year old looking boy. He was wearing almost the exact same style of   
cloths as the tall Mousse but his hair was loose while his was still   
tied by the leather thong. The young boy wore glasses, while Mousse   
wore nothing but his own, 'unmasked' face.  
  
Mousse almost gasped when he saw that the boy he was staring at,   
was himself. He wanted to move to him, or away from him but he   
couldn't budge an inch. Then he heard something drop on the ground and   
he looked down. The knife that had been in his hands had been dropped   
and the boy still came.  
  
Before Mousse knew what was happening, the moment the young boy   
touched the blade, he and the boy merged.  
  
Through the eyes of the boy he finally recognized this place, it   
was the place his father always went to train by himself. The one   
place that was sacred to his family as it had been the shrine built to   
his ancestors from his father's side. He was at his dad's ancestral   
home and before him stood his father.  
  
To the right of the wall that his practice blade had hit and fallen   
before, stood a man he had known all his life yet still knew very   
little of when it came to his side of the family. And the art he was   
passing on to him.  
  
The art of his father had been passed down to him, as it had been   
done for generations as its most closet and guarded secret. It was   
once considered the yin/yang art many generations ago, the balance   
between man as a weapon and the weapon as the man. Be they male or   
female passed down as his father's own mother had passed the art to   
his father and now to him.  
  
His father, even now accepted students in the Amazon village but he   
did not teach all that he knew to them.  
  
His father, once known as Tsung Wufei, now Lei Wu, stood before   
little Muu with a rather unusually long katana. Its handle made of   
black onyx stone, carved into a roaring dragons neck and head. In all,   
it was nearly six feet in length, and Muu could guess it was pretty   
heavy just by looking at it.  
  
His father stood in what looked like a Crane's fighting position   
with the sword hung over his head. His knee bent over and across the   
other leg and his right hand out. Then before Muu knew it, his father   
started to glow in a golden aura.  
  
It began to surround him entirely. His father raised the blade high   
and began to say something, with each word expressing his true emotion   
and determination. As his eyes almost seemed to blaze with life of   
their own.  
  
As he moved, Muu couldn't help but let his mouth hang open.  
  
"Ryuu..."  
  
Mousse's eyes widened.  
  
"..Ken..."  
  
He waited excitedly as the glow intensified greatly, rushing itself   
into the weapon, now surrounding it. And brought it down in a mighty   
swing as he yelled that last word out loud.  
  
"..HA!!!!!!!!"  
  
Mousse was at a loss of words as the aura flew from the blade into,   
briefly, the shape of a dragon surrounding the sword and his father   
into a small golden ki ball. As it launched itself and went faster   
than anything he had ever seen in his young life. But to his inner   
eye, it all happened so slow.  
  
The ball turned again into an golden arc and went through a nearby   
tree going straight threw and disappearing on the other side. Only to   
have the tree a few seconds later fall, cleanly cut. The wow that   
escaped from Muu's lips brought his fathers' attention quickly.  
  
{Muu what are you doing over there?}  
  
{Father, how did you do that?}  
  
His father grabbed the back of his head in a casual manner with the   
ever popular sweat drop rolling behind it.  
  
{Uh, well... you see....}  
  
{Tell me father, how did you learn to do that? Can you teach it to   
me when I'm older?}  
  
His father seemed to snap to attention quickly at his young son's   
last question and began to explain what he had just done.  
  
{I can't teach that technique son.}  
  
Little Muu Zhuu was about to start to cry when he called upon his   
trained discipline in order not to cry in front of his father. They   
were not at the Amazon village at the moment, he was gladful at that.   
Even though he was a low born male, he still wanted to show his dad   
that he was a worthy student. {But why dad?}  
  
His father was at a lost for words, trying to explain to his son   
what he had thought most of his life as un-teachable. But then it was   
as though he had tapped into a river of words and it came out like a   
smooth river.  
  
{You see Muu, because it can't be taught. This technique is the   
most guarded part of our art. No one can learn it because we have to   
find it. It comes from in here... but you have to find it.} He pointed   
to his own heart as Muu watched in curiosity at what his father said.  
  
Mousse stopped crying and looked at his uncle through tear filled   
eyes. "Find it?"  
  
{Yes, little Muu, this attack can only be discovered within   
ourselves, once that is done we can learn to hone our control over it.   
For when you find out how to do this technique, you can say that you   
truly are a master of the Hidden Weapons Style.} His father smiled and   
continued on talking. {What better weapon well hidden than within   
yourself than the most devastating and resourceful weapon of all...   
ourselves.}  
  
Muu Zhuu looked at his father and smiled almost understanding his   
father's words but it still was a little confusing. Somehow sensing   
that his son was still a little overwhelmed, he kept on speaking.  
  
{Our spirit little Muu, the one thing that makes us drive on with   
hope even when all else fails. What makes TRUE warriors of legend so   
grand. But you have to discover the key to it son before you can   
unleash from you. Do you understand now?}  
  
Mousse nodded as he finally understood what his father was saying,   
he was starting to remember all the stories his father had told him.   
Of the great male warriors of his village. The ones' who were treated   
as equals and treated the Amazons themselves as equals even when it   
was clear they were stronger in power. Equality, that was what he   
wanted but then he thought of Xian.  
  
His lil mind started to think of ways to discover this technique   
to finally win her over. To show her that he was worthy of her and to   
finally show her how much he loved her. How much he could make her   
happy and protect her always, his...  
  
He stopped his thoughts as he scratched his head, trying to think   
of something new to call his warrior femme fatale. Then it hit him and   
he accidentally let it slip out.  
  
{...my goddess.}  
  
His father threw back his head and laughed. All Mousse could do was   
think of a way to find that move to win his Shampoo. And his vision   
deemed more as his thoughts went deeper into his mind along with the   
words his father had said and what he was thinking earlier go into his   
subconscious.  
  
He separated from the boy he used to be and was once again in the   
void he had been standing in. Mousse finally realized this and started   
to look around as it was a normal reflex.  
  
As he looked around, he heard footsteps again and saw that it   
again was the same apparition he had encountered a week ago in his   
dreams. It was double, his subconscious.  
  
{You've been doing some growing up since last we chatted Muu Zhuu,   
and you seem to be heading the right way. Though it seems you still   
may be a little lost.}  
  
Muu was confused at what his inner double just told him and it   
showed on his face as it contorted.  
  
His double smirked. {What I meant to say is, your new found   
knowledge on the past is true but the way you're heading may be   
wrong. But that's my opinion.}  
  
{What's that supposed to...}  
  
Holding up his hands to stop Muu from any further talking that   
might result in yelling stop. {Whoa there Muu. I'm just saying that   
don't let this new found set of truth be clouded so easily by   
your emotions. It'll set you back a few paces.}  
  
Muu stared at his double considering this new set of knowledge but   
he didn't know whether to follow him as he was confused of what to do.   
His mind reminded him of so many unpleasant situations caused by   
Xian Pu but his heart reminded him of the better things both before   
and after coming to Japan. It was all confusing.  
  
Muu stood there with his head casted down as he took this new bit   
of information into consideration. then the whole area started to turn   
white as it began dissolved away.  
  
{By the way Muu Zhuu...}  
  
Mousse looked up at the disappearing form of his older self as he   
spoke.  
  
{...remember what your father said, believe me when I tell you,   
that your right now at the threshold of finding yourself. Your key.   
Your true potential is about to be unleashed. Find it and be happy.}  
  
With that last piece of advice it all was gone and he woke up.  
  
***  
  
Mousse awoke with a start as he raised himself up, his face   
showing the new found truths he had uncovered. Replaying the memory of   
his father from so many years ago only proved to him how much Shampoo   
had been holding back. But he knew what his double meant by being   
careful of letting his emotions get the better of him.  
  
His love for Shampoo turned into a slave and now his new found hate   
for her was turning him into cold man. His dreams of achieving the   
status of a great warrior would be ruined if he let his hate control   
and get the better of him.  
  
If his anger gets the better of him than he'd probably become worse   
than even Happosai, maybe even worse than Saffron.  
  
He shuddered at the last thought.  
  
_Worse than Saffron?_ His face was contorted with shock to realize   
that his past week behavior since returning from Dr. Tofu's office was   
rather uncalled for. The ignoring the presence of Shampoo, obeying her   
orders only when her great-grandmother spoke to him. Then and every   
once in while making her have accidents with the aid of a weapon here   
and a weapon there.  
  
Letting his face fall unto his hands he really started to regret   
all of the events from the past week. As he had started to pay back   
Shampoo in kindly as she had treated him for the past two years. But   
the worst had been last night. He had slipped and given away probably   
a little too much. He just hoped that she would just chalked it up to   
beginners' luck or something or other.  
  
Getting up, Mousse started to remove his cloths as he looked at his   
clock and it had read half till five in the morning. It would soon be   
time to open up shop, and he didn't wanna be late ever again. Like he   
used too be.  
  
His grey wool robe landed on the bed as his now bare muscle chest   
rippled with every movement of his arms. Over the week he had been   
putting himself into a more grueling form of training. Lifting rocks   
the size of people and throwing them as far as he could. Weights on   
his legs and arms in his speed and accuracy training.  
  
What it paid off with after a week was a major improvement over   
his old form. Looking over himself before going to the closet to   
change into a clean grey silk robe, he had to compliment himself.  
  
Walking over to the mirror in his room, he gave himself a once   
over and was shocked at how much more defined he was now. He knew   
giving himself some strict training like he used to was gonna improve   
him but this was almost too much.  
  
_Damn, gotta be almost in as good as shape as Ranma, maybe even   
Ryoga now. Whoa! Calm yourself Muu, soon you'll get so work about all   
this and go challenge Ranma for Xian's hand in marriage and go back to   
who you used to be. Ha._  
  
Smirking in the mirror he allowed himself a small shake as he gave   
out a silent chuckle. He walked over to the closet and started to take   
out the new grey silk robe he had bought with some saved pays he had   
gotten in the past. The rest he had was enough for whatever he may   
need anything more.  
  
Mousse looked over himself to the mirror one more time and thought   
one last personal thought.  
  
_Maybe its time I expose my new little secret. Yeah, maybe it is   
time, would be fun to see Khun Lon's and Xian's face to see me be able   
to see normal again. Hah, it'll be a killer time, that I do know._  
  
Mousse smiled and started to move again to getting some clothes for   
the day as it seemed today would be the time for changes to begin.  
  
***  
  
Unknown to Mousse though was the same man known as 'Kaji' was   
outside his window taking photos of a bare chested Mousse. His   
employer had told him to keep tabs on the young man but couldn't do   
so always. That is, until just yesterday when he got a scooter and   
found Mousse's 'training ground.'  
  
He had managed to take a few photos of the young man's grueling   
training. He had made a pretty little piece of yen. And from what he   
heard her saying, so will she. Since she plans on selling this piece   
of info to a certain martial artist.  
  
But last and not least, Nabiki had told him to take any photos he   
could get of the young martial artist in any form or way unclothed. It   
seems since the little rush of business a week ago, girls from the   
high school were asking for pictures and info on the young man.  
  
Kaji had hit pay dirt now getting his fiftieth shot of a bare   
chested Mousse. He had to admit, he was a little jealous of the guy   
in front of him. But hey, seems like every Super Martial Artist in   
town was built like a major Olympic athlete. Hey, at least the money   
was better than most jobs.  
  
What made it even more profitable was when Mousse changed pants and   
he got about ten of him in bare bottomed and then only in boxers. He   
knew now that he'd defiantly ask more for these pics, considering how   
much she was gonna make with the negatives alone, oh man.  
  
Taking the last photo, Kaji started to descend himself as he got on   
the ground and to his post. Seeing that Mousse hadn't left to train   
today, he wondered what had happened to cause the sudden change. Until   
it then hit him.  
  
As he ran across the street, Kaji's mind ran with thoughts about   
what his boss had told him. _Could the boss be right? Could today be   
the day? Oh man, talk about the fight of the century. And I thought   
those fights with that Ryoga guy were tough. Damn._  
  
Kaji continued to watch the home of the young male Amazon along   
with the others in the establishment. You never know what could happen   
and more yen could come his way.  
  
***  
  
Another set of eyes that was also looking at Mousse belonged to a   
certain deeply colored lavender Amazon. A pair of light violet colored   
eyes looked on with a confusion in them. Her thoughts of late had been   
turning to the young male Amazon before her and she couldn't stop.   
Ever since he had totally changed on her, she started to get worried   
if she was losing her best friend.  
  
She knew how badly she had treated him these past two years, but   
she hadn't expected this type of action from him.  
  
He had started to become cold to her. Ignoring her, causing   
accidents for her in work, and actually...  
  
She stopped as her mind began to race to what had happened just   
two nights ago.  
  
She had been making out a delivery when she spotted Ranma, and he   
was in heated argument with Akane. She sped her bike at them in hopes   
that the problems would get worse. What she had not known was that a   
call had been made by the Tendo's for dinner to be delivered since it   
was Akane's turn to cook that night. And guess who was making the   
delivery?  
  
What happened next was not what she had expected.  
  
"Nihao, Ranma. You take Shampoo on date tonight?"  
  
She had said with her ever-present smile, as she threw her glare at   
her rival but neither of the two had expected the flying bucket of   
water, landing on top of her.  
  
Looking up from her pile, of now wet cloths, Neko-Shampoo saw the   
trail of smoke that Ranma had left. But it was the look on Akane's   
face that kept her from gong after him. Following her gaze she came to   
rest her cat eyes on the person who threw the water at her.  
  
It was Mousse.  
  
She would've gotten angry if it wasn't the way he was looking at   
her. That same blue and frosty aura that had been on him days earlier   
was surrounding him again. It made her shake all the way down to her   
soul.  
  
Without warning he threw another bucket at her but as she had   
jumped out its way, he did the unimaginable. He had thrown three   
shuriken, striking the bucket once, throwing and moving the still   
falling bucket her direction. Yet still far away. The second only   
brought it closer and the third impacting it to actually make it land   
on top of her.  
  
They were all thrown in so a consecutive manner and perfect way as   
though the weapons were a part of him. It had been amazing to watch   
but not feel, as the warm soup hit her. Then before she knew it, she   
stood nude in the street for all to see. It had been humiliating but   
what got to her more was when she had turned to glare at Mousse, he   
had disappeared.  
  
Akane had grabbed her dress and covered her as she began to talk.  
  
"Uh Shampoo, since when has Mousse started to act this way? He's   
nothing more than pervert if you ask me. Seems like Ranma and he   
should get together and start..."  
  
The rest of what she had said fell on deaf ears as she had   
forgotten her anger and was concentrating on worry. Her friend, the   
person she had gotten used to was gone now. He was now replaced by a   
cold and calculating warrior. It scared her at some level considering   
that she had never considered Mousse to actually hold anything back at   
all whenever they fought.  
  
Now, she wondered.  
  
Coming back to the present, Shampoo noticed that Mousse was almost   
finished getting dressed and would soon come out of his room. She too   
got up and turned around to start helping out her grandmother open the   
store. It was now about to be five fifteen in the morning and Cologne   
had told her to try and get at least half an hour workout. To keep up   
in fighting shape. But considering how many deliveries she made all   
across Nerima and then attending people in the Nekohanten. She could   
guess that keeping in shape was not a problem.  
  
But her great-grandmother was right about keeping in fighting   
shape, the last person had been too powerful for her to handle. Though   
she shuddered again remembering the true power Ranma had held back   
every time she had ever fought him, but unleashed on Saffron. The   
power was awesome but it was for WHO he had unleashed that power for   
that made her truly sad.  
  
_He really loves Akane I guess. But if he's already chosen..._ She   
looked up with fear on her face. _..and Muu Zhuu is now cold to me,   
who is there for me to love, to... love me?_  
  
Her shoulders almost slumped down but just as quickly threw that   
thought aside. Her discipline taught to her but her grandmother came   
back and gave her strength. Her body tightened with determination and   
letting her Amazon heritage turn her hack into the warrior that she   
was.  
  
_No, Ranma is mine and Mousse is nothing. I will get what is mine   
and nothing, especially some low Amazon male whose having an identity   
crisis stand in my way._ Her right hand balled up into a fist and she   
shook it before her. _I swear it to my ancestors._  
  
And she walked off, becoming the same Shampoo she had always been   
but with a little seed now implanted in her heart.  
  
It was time to start open the business soon.  
  
***  
  
Cologne sat in meditation as she pondered the events of the last   
few days around the place she had come to call home. Her mind was   
troubled over the changes that had started to occur ever since the   
morning with Mousse.  
  
Her face contorted with every thought and prospect that this new   
change in attitude for the young martial artist could mean but it was   
almost fruitless. She had been keeping an eye on the young male ever   
since that day she had seen that fire in his eyes. A fire she had not   
seen in so long a time.  
  
Determination, strength, power and character always came with that   
fire she had seen. It was the very thing that had made the Amazons   
accept laws of marrying outsiders thousands of years ago; almost since   
the first tribes of the Chinese Amazons.  
  
The last person she had seen it in was the man her blood sister,   
Perfume, had found. She had been the only one to ever be able to beat   
her, as Cologne had been the best ever. But it was always her elder   
sister, though a year, could always get the best of her. She was an   
Amazon warrior like no other. But that had changed when they were   
in their mid-twenties.  
  
Like her own great-granddaughter Shampoo, an outsider had come   
along one day but during a raid by slave traders rather than chance   
encounter. Her sister and herself had held out most, if not half the   
invaders but one had managed to get the better of her for a moment.   
Fatigue and being out-numbered can take its toll.  
  
But then 'he' had appeared. Li Kai had been his name and he was a   
traveling wander. Always in search of experiences to live and enjoy   
whatever life had to give. He appeared in the thick of the whole thing   
and defeated every one of the invaders.   
  
From the look she could see on the stranger after the forces had   
been thrown back, she knew he had fallen for her. She tried to defend   
her sister if this man ever did anything to hurt her but when she made   
a move to fight him, her sister had gotten in the way and made a   
challenge since Cologne had been hit with an arrow in the shoulder.  
  
The stranger had known of their ways and accepted the challenge on   
a condition that had astonished every Amazon present. He had said that   
if he won, it would be up to her, Per Phum, if she wanted to marry   
him. And her sister considered it. She had never once been defeated by   
any wandering male who came and fell for her before. Many had tried,   
either by accident meeting or knowing her for a while. But none had   
ever won. Now, she considered it.  
  
The battle happened the next week and the stranger was there   
present and punctual. It was over in a matter of seconds as Kai had   
used a style never before seen. That same style that now became more   
the part in her great-granddaughters study of the art. It was   
incredible and many great generation came but all died so soon.  
  
In the years to come wars came and destroyed much of the Chinese   
jungles they had called home. But the style was taught to her side as   
a just in case thing, she wished it had been otherwise but it was love   
that had had nearly sixty years of life, that it flourished well   
before death snuffed it out like a candle.  
  
But now, it was almost different because she could tell that the   
same confusion she was going through now was the same in Mousse   
himself. She had studied him every time he did something wrong to her   
great-granddaughter. It was hard but she had to know if he was indeed   
stronger than her granddaughter.  
  
If he was and still hadn't changed the way he was acting now and   
somehow ended up marrying her. Bad things were sure to happen. She had   
to know if Mousse was truly a good man or slowly becoming an   
inconsiderate man. Today was her last day of observation. If he did   
anything like had been doing this past week, she had no choice but to   
throw him out of the Amazon tribe herself.  
  
Cologne opened her eyes and slowly got up as she balanced herself   
on her staff. Her eyes looked at the door before her and she started   
to move toward it as she whispered something to herself.  
  
{So the last test begins, and may the changes to come be bearable.}  
  
With that, she left and the doors closed.  
  
*****  
  
Ranma and Mousse stood face to face across the street as the match   
would soon get underway. School had been out for a half hour and now   
any students coming to the Nekohanten to eat of just passing by stood   
in the audience of the unexpected fight.  
  
Shampoo looked from the sidewalk at the two combatants with some   
type of confusion. The last few hours that had happened had not been   
like she had expected. Today was going in all different directions and   
ways than what she had expected.  
  
Mousse was no longer being the jackass he had been the entire week   
before. It had all started when they met at the beginning of the day.  
  
He had entered the restaurant wearing no glasses and in a new grey   
silk woven robe. Its sleeves long but ending at the wrist instead of   
past it like he used to with his old white robes. Then he went up to   
her and spoke.  
  
As Mousse got close, Shampoo got tensed and into a loose fighting   
stance, ready to surprise Mousse should he try anything. At most she   
was expecting him to insult her then she could beat him and put him   
back in his place but he didn't. He did something totally different.  
  
{Xian, I'd like to apologize for acting like a complete jerk this   
past week.} His head bent down went further as he went to one knee and   
gave her a warriors' apology. One the most respectful signs of great   
humility to her and her tribe. It was almost too much. {Please accept   
my apology as a friend.}  
  
Shampoo could only stammer as she said she had expected her apology   
and got back up, bowed to her and turned around to do his chores. She   
was totally at shock from what Mousse just did. For bowing to her on   
one knee showed that he had respected her as a warrior. Now, also, he   
wasn't being neither a jackass or a love sick idiot but a man. A true   
man, like the type of male every Amazon wanted. A man she could learn   
to love but she shook herself out of her stupor.  
  
Turning around she tried to get back to work but occasionally,   
she had to look back to him. Then someone shouted from outside the   
cafe calling out for Mousse. It was a familiar voice as Xian tried to   
remember for a moment where she had heard it.  
  
Then it hit her, that voice... it was Ranma's.  
  
Then her momentary memory flashback stopped as she once again stood   
amongst the growing crowd that came to see the recent of infamous   
martial arts showdown. But Shampoo had to admit something to herself,   
something about this fight seemed... different.  
  
She looked to Mousse and saw that his normally-goofy-battle-face   
was not on him. It had been replaced by the new man she had come to   
recognize as Muu Zhuu. Ranma looked like had been through hell the   
past few days, no doubt under constant training, but for what? But his   
face showed he was still as confident as ever.  
  
"Well Mousse, ready to fight?"  
  
Mousse stood there and stared at Ranma and looked toward Akane who   
was not to far and standing next to her sister, Nabiki. He could tell   
that she was really angry about Ranma coming here to fight him. She   
still thought that he and Ranma could be good friends. And actually,   
he had been putting some thought into it these past few days. Ranma   
and him being friends that is. Unlike Ranma, he thought it could be a   
possibility.  
  
"Ranma, before we fight... I want to ask one thing out of this   
fight."  
  
Ranma grinned her ever present I-Can't-Lose grin and spoke out.   
"Sure duck-boy, ask away."  
  
Ranma stood in confusion as Mousse turned away from him and walked   
back to the Nekohanten. The crowd parting as he walked through with   
confidence, but mature and intelligent confidence, to where Cologne   
stood watching.  
  
He bowed before her and spoke in Chinese, not allowing anyone to   
understand what he was saying. Ranma was confused, everybody stood   
with question marks over there head, Nabiki was trying to listen   
intently as she held out a tape recorder. The face on Shampoo's face   
was the only thing indicating that she understood perfectly what was   
being said.  
  
{Honored Elder. I have a request to ask of you before I fight your   
future son-in-law. I wish to...}  
  
{You can marry Xian Pu if you win.}  
  
{What?}  
  
{WHAT?!?!?!} Came the reply of a very angry Shampoo from behind   
them. But before she could say anything, Mousse continued.  
  
For a brief moment, Mousse smiled a small smile at the irony of   
what was happening. His past actions and recent revelation had finally   
gotten him what he always wanted. Khun Lon had finally acknowledged   
him as suitable material for a husband for her great-granddaughter so   
he let out a small chuckle. The old Amazon looked at him, as did   
Shampoo. Then he spoke.  
  
{That is not what I wish to request of you Honored Elder.}  
  
{What?!?!} Now it was Cologne's turn to be amazed at what had just   
happened. Her approval had finally been give and Mousse had NOT   
accepted it.  
  
{What I wish to ask of you is that this contest NOT be acknowledged   
as a fight for Xian's hand. I wish for this to be a simple contest   
between martial artists of skill. That is what I ask.}  
  
Cologne stared in shock at the announcement of this young Amazon   
male as her respect for him that had diminished somewhat these past   
two years, grow. She could see now that this young male, had truly   
become what few highly skilled 'young' fighters could ever be, mature.   
It usually took a major humiliating fight to do this, for others it   
would cost them more. But very few rare occasions, both male and   
female, ever did so on their own.  
  
She nodded to his request and he got up and went back to face   
Ranma. When he came close he looked at the young Saotome and noticed   
that Ryoga and Ukyou were there, as well as the Kunon siblings. Mostly   
everybody in the whole town was there now. He faced Ranma and smirked   
a similar smirk like Ranma's.  
  
"Well Ranma, let's get this show on the road."  
  
Ranma's smirked deepened too as he got that familiar glint in his   
eyes at the thought of an upcoming fight. "Bring it on Duck-boy."  
  
Ranma jumped with flying dragon kick, his left leg extended out as   
he flew through the air. Mousse jumping up and avoiding the strike to   
the street to which sent pieces of road flying out. He let loose his   
wrist chains from his left hand, as his right made sure his 'feathers'   
were ready.  
  
So the fight of the century began.  
  
To be continued...  



	4. Truths and Consequences

Changes 4:  
Truths and Consequences  
  
by Jess Dougherty  
*********************************************************  
  
Disclaimer: By all rights by law, Characters in this story belong   
to Rumiko Takashi and their receptive companies. Please do not sue as   
I am a student with source of income or any wealth. The story however   
is something I had floating around in my head since Mousse is one of   
my favorite Ranma 1/2 characters.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
The fight had started not long ago, but two hours had already   
passed and Nabiki didn't like this. Normally under the same   
circumstances she bet everything on Ranma to win, but things were   
different now. Mousse had changed.  
  
He was no longer the annoying duck-boy she had come to get used to   
and know very well from a prospective point of view. He had become   
something more and that bothered her. Every resource she once counted   
on could come up with nothing now. Every piece of collected data and   
knowledge was worthless now.  
  
Sure, she had made a great bundle with the young girls at the high   
school, now that a new 'hunk' had arrived but it was worth nothing.   
Nothing if she didn't have knowledge of the man to sell with the   
picture. A picture was a profile, but with no knowledge it was   
literally nothing. Her once carefully calculated equations on making a   
profit had been literally thrown out the window.  
  
***  
  
Mousse's blade struck where Ranma had been standing and when Ranma   
went to throw an Amaguriken attack, he saw it coming. Mousse pulled   
out a rather large pot from within his sleeves and covered himself.   
Each hit only hit the covering but left Mousse alone. Ranma, as anyone   
could see, was getting pisted. And anger usually left a fighter   
vulnerable. Less focused.  
  
He jumped back, using the same sword and a twin as catapults,   
stabbed into the ground and leapt away. The swords were left there as   
he flew back, to everyone's' astonishment. Mousse was depleting his   
weapon reserves everywhere. A couple of shuriken embedded here and   
there, along with spears, swords, chains, maces, mallets, etc. The   
only thing he seemed to still have were wrist chains on his wrists and   
who knows what little if anything at all in his sleeves.  
  
The fight had been tremdeous, as street signs were left bent,   
pulled out and embedded almost everywhere. Cars were either destroyed   
or left damaged to the point that maybe even insurance agents wouldn't   
believe some people's claims tomorrow. Trees were stabbed, punch   
marked, and broken. And the list kept going.  
  
Mousse came in for a floor foot sweep and Ranma avoided by jumping   
up, and that's where the unpredictable factor came in. By the look on   
Ranma's face, he could tell that he thought that he had run out of   
weapons. For the past thirty minutes he had resorted to fighting   
hand to hand style and he kept back, making Ranma cocky and   
overconfident.  
  
That was his mistake. His pride.  
  
Mousse threw about twenty of his feathers, each striking at a   
pressure point in his body but a few missing. Ranma fell to one knee   
as five feathers stuck to his chest. Another few in his right arm,   
left wrist and thigh. That gave Mousse enough time and he pulled out   
his last weapon. His fathers' gift, the oak staff.  
  
Ranma was pulling out or actually bunching out the darts in his   
shoulder and allowing his arm to know be able to move. Missing the   
shoulder of the other arm gave him that advantage but the end was   
near. There would be only one attack Ranma would most likely use   
since he had already tried the Mouko Takabisha, Kenshin Amaguriken and   
the Hiryu Shoten Ha. The last, he had countered and broken the spiral   
from being completed. Live with an Amazon and learn about the counter-  
attacks to those techniques.  
  
Giving Ranma enough time, Mousse concentrated and started to glow   
again in an eerie aura. But it began to change as he concentrated,   
he had learned to two ways to use his family's main attack.   
Considering he was still learning how to do the Ryuken Ha but he had   
discovered another way.  
  
The words repeated themselves over and over in his head as he   
concentrated on his chi to build from the energy around him. He had   
learned that an energy attack can come out of ki, inner energy, or   
chi, outer energy. Right now he was using chi as he concentrated on   
using everybody's emotional energy. He was being engulfed in a mixed   
energy, finally staying into a whitish color. He kept concentrating as   
he knew he would need the speed in enhanced reflexes in a little while.  
  
_Mouuuu.. kuuu... Kennnn... _  
  
Then the energy no longer engulfed him but became an outline over   
him. Ranma finished pulling the last feather out of his thigh and   
looked at Mousse.  
  
***  
  
"Ok, duck-boy, I'll give you credit. Your training for this fight   
actually is paying off for a change but now you got me really into   
this fight. And Ranma Saotome, don't lose."  
  
Mousse stood there concentrating but let a little confusion rise to   
his face. "My fight? Since was this my fight? Your the one who came to   
challenge me."  
  
"Yeah, but that's why you were training wasn't it. To try and beat   
me."  
  
Mousse gave a small sad chuckle at what had just been revealed to   
him. The reason they were fighting today was for a stupid call on   
behalf of misleading information. No doubt via Nabiki Corps. He moved   
his head from side to side as he got out the fighting stance he had   
been in. The energy gone form him.  
  
"Ranma I wasn't doing it to challenge you. I just wanted to retrain   
myself and get back into shape. After all, not all of us have a   
martial artist father or someone like Ryoga to train with all day. I   
had to do with what I had. Like it or not, you were in no part   
attached to it."  
  
Ranma had confused look on his face too, and let go of the fighting   
stance he had been in. "You mean it was just you training and only   
that? For nothing?"  
  
Mousse nodded. Ranma laughed and shook his head too.  
  
_Hmm. Maybe Ranma isn't such a dense guy after all._ Thought Mousse.  
  
Then Ranma stopped laughing and went back into fighting stance as   
he looked at Mousse with less anger intensity in his eyes. But still   
an even greater intensity of competitiveness in them. Mousse knew that   
look well. He had it every time he and Ryoga fought, and especially   
every challenge that came along.  
  
"Ok Mousse, I understand what you were doing but you've got my   
attention now. You've never be able to hold your own this far before   
and I wanna see how good you've gotten." His eyes glinted with passion   
for the fight to continue.  
  
Mousse looked at him and it was too in his own blood and eyes.   
Seeing that he now stood toe to toe with him, he too wanted to see if   
he could do it too. Beat the unbeatable Ranma Saotome that is. At that   
moment, he understood why Ranma, now, almost seemed to go off looking   
for fights. The test he was going through now was a real rush.  
  
The crowd looked on to the now stopped combatants with a look of   
confusion. It only got worse when the two started talking to each   
other rather than fight. When the two started to get back into   
formation to fight, the excitement rose back to unbearable levels.  
  
Everybody looked on as Ranma leapt at his opponent again and   
screamed "Kachuu Teshin Amaguriken." And his arms went flying into a   
tornado of whirls and blurs to which Mousse responded with equal   
speed. Training with heavy weighted objects on himself, like all his   
weapons in his cloths had made him fast. Disposing of all his weapons   
allowed him to show that as the bo staff in his hand became a blur   
with itself and blocked all of Ranma's punches. Then Ranma made a   
miscalculation and missed.  
  
He went ramming fist first past Mousse, unfortunately losing his   
momentum in that moment. He could've gotten it back in a split-second,   
but that; was a split-second too late.  
  
Mousse had his left arm coaxed up with his right holding the bo and   
steadying it to his attack. To which he struck.  
  
It hit Ranma in the head, directly where Akane always hit him with   
her mallet. The only spot on his hard head that would have an   
installed weakness too.  
  
He went out like a light.  
  
The crowd gasped as those who bet on Ranma started to cry.  
  
Shampoo was shocked.  
  
Cologne just looked on with a calm and serene face. Almost as   
though she had expected the fight to end this way?  
  
*****  
  
Akane looked on in worry at her fiancée mostly because when she   
looked Mousse she saw something different in him. She was really   
worried that something bad might happen. But the worry subdued a bit   
when she heard what he and Mousse talked about. But when they got back   
into a stance, she felt a little bit better cause now it was rivalry.   
Not how Ranma was treating it at first, a fight to the death deal.  
  
And the fight started.  
  
Then almost as quick as lighting hit, it was over. She winced at   
the sound Mousse's bo made when it collided with her fiancée's head.   
Her last thought as she turned her head away was... _That's gotta   
hurt!_  
  
* * *  
  
Ryoga looked at the battle and almost smiled at what he saw, Ranma   
was actually gonna get his for once. It was something of a sight to   
behold, until he realized it wasn't him who was doing it.  
  
"Damn."  
  
* * *  
  
Nabiki almost wanted to cry at the thought of losing money to a   
fight she couldn't predict the outcome. And the way this one was   
turning out, it seemed that it would end that way indeed.  
  
"Damn. There goes a hellva profit."  
  
* * *  
  
Soun and Genma, in panda form, looked on at what was transpiring.   
They had gotten word by a running pedestrian about the fight and   
wanted to see why so many would go see a fight that everybody knew   
Ranma would win. When they saw Mousse, they knew why.  
  
"He's going to lose isn't he old friend?"  
  
[Look on the Muu-boy's eyes] He flipped the sign again. [Says it   
all. Determination.] He flipped yet again. [It BURNS in him, greatly.]  
  
"Yes, I can see that well, Saotome."  
  
* * *  
  
Ukyou looked at Ranma and looked at Mousse. Then the fight started   
and she winced, the fight was over.  
  
"Damn, never saw that coming did you Ran-chan?"  
  
*****  
  
"AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Shampoo woke up in a cold sweat as   
she looked around and realized she was in her room. The curtains were   
closed and her door was closed. On her bed she sat with her arms   
stretched out in front of her as her head hung low. Her pink silk   
Chinese pajamas clinged to her figure in a rather formfitting way.  
  
"Ah, Shampoo only have bad dream. For a moment there Shampoo   
thought she saw stupid Mousse defeat Airen." Shampoo started to calm   
down when her door opened and there in the light of the hall and in   
silhouette form, stood Cologne. Her face was etched with worry as she   
looked on toward her great-granddaughter.  
  
{What is Xian, are you ok?}  
  
"Huh? Oh is you great-grandmother. No nothing wrong, Shampoo just   
have nightmare is all. Thought for a moment that saw Mousse defeat   
Arien in hand to hand combat. Silly huh?"  
  
Shampoo would've laughed if not for the fact that her grandmother   
just stood there and didn't laugh. For a moment all was silent and   
little bit by little bit, Shampoo started to get really uncomfortable   
at all the silence. Then Cologne spoke.  
  
"Great granddaughter, it was no dream. Mousse did defeat son-in-law   
yesterday. You fainted afterwards because you could not believe what   
had happened. I asked Mousse to bring you in after the fight and then   
told him to go see that young doctor Tofu, the same one that the   
Tendos' took Ranma too."  
  
"Ugh... ugh... ugh..." Shampoo was speechless at what had been   
revealed to her. Thoughts ran rampant in her head as it came crashing   
down hard that Mousse was new her new fiancée.  
  
"NOOO!!! Great-grandmother, please tell Shampoo you joking. Tell   
Shampoo that Mousse did not defeat Arien?!?!" Shampoo asked now at   
great-grandmother's feet as she pleaded. "Please?"  
  
Cologne looked at her great-granddaughter with a deep scowl on her   
face and then, without warning, slapped her.  
  
Shampoo went flying toward the other wall and banged against it   
hard, then slid down it. Getting back up, she grabbed her red cheek   
and looked at Cologne with tears.  
  
"Why you do that Great-grandmother?"  
  
Still with an angry scowl on her face, Cologne spoke. {Because Muu   
Zhuu is not your fiancée.}  
  
"What?!?!?!?!"  
  
"Foolish child, do you not remember what Mousse asked of me before   
the match with son-in-law?"  
  
Shampoo looked down and tried to recall what she EXACTLY had heard   
and then gasped.  
  
^FLASHBACK^  
  
{Honored Elder. I have a request to ask of you before I fight your   
future son-in-law. I wish to...}  
  
{You can marry Xian Pu if you win.}  
  
{What?}  
  
{WHAT?!?!?!} Came the reply of a very angry Shampoo from behind   
them. But before she could say anything, Mousse continued.  
  
For a brief moment, Mousse smiled a small smile at the irony of   
what was happening. His past actions and recent revelation had finally   
gotten him what he always wanted. Khun Lon had finally acknowledged   
him as suitable material for a husband for her great-granddaughter so   
he let out a small chuckle. The old Amazon looked at him, as did   
Shampoo. then he spoke.  
  
{That is not what I wish to request of you Honored Elder.}  
  
{What?!?!} Now it was Cologne's turn to be amazed at what had just   
happened. Her approval had finally been give and Mousse had NOT   
accepted it.  
  
{What I wish to ask of you is that this contest NOT be acknowledged   
as a fight for Xian's hand. I wish for this to be a simple contest   
between martial artists of skill. That is what I ask.}  
  
^END OF FLASHBACK^  
  
Shampoo sat there on the floor shocked to remember that Mousse had   
asked such a thing. For as far she could remember, Mousse had always   
sought her hand in marriage and now, that it was at hand, he refused   
it. Not to mention the fact that if he could defeat Ranma...  
  
"No... Mousse hold back all this time?!?"  
  
***  
  
Mousse broomed the floors quietly as he remembered the fight that   
had happened not too long ago. He could still see the rage in the   
young Amazon's eyes known as Shampoo. At the time when the elder had   
told him that he could have her hand in marriage if he won. But most   
of all, he remembered her shocked expression as he turned her great-  
grandmother down. His own expression changed as he frowned at the   
memory of that moment.  
  
Truth be told, he wasn't so sure of his own emotions at the moment   
when he recalled those events. His posture changed from one of rest   
and deep thought to an anxious form as his mind raced with thoughts.   
His face contorted with frustration at the events over the past few   
days.  
  
_I thought I had all of this covered and well thought out. I would   
train and get myself back in shape. Make my peace with Xian and Khun   
Lon, then leave back home. Reopen the old dojo back home and train   
other Amazon's in the ways of the Hidden Weapons Arts. Now..._ He just   
leaned further into his broom as he leaned on it and continued to   
think out the new events.  
  
_Now,... now it seems like everything I thought I knew wasn't even   
what I thought I knew. Shampoo almost looked like she was saddened at   
the thought of me turning down the chance to marry her. But her eyes,   
they almost burned with hate at the actual fact that I could marry   
her._  
  
Throwing the broom down he growled in frustration as he threw his   
hands and arms up in the air. His mind screaming his unspoken question   
as he couldn't stand it anymore. _Kami! I JUST DON"T UNDERSTAND WOMEN   
AT ALL!!!!!! They are the stronger gender and yet that means they   
should be easier to understand. Yet there are times they seems as weak   
and as fragile as us men, damn it, I wish I knew the answer to all   
this!!!!!_  
  
At the moment he felt as though he was being watched, so he turned   
around quickly. Part of him expecting an attack from Ranma, even if   
the fight had just been a few days ago. Instead, who he saw was not a   
fighting frenzied teenage martial artist, but a glaring Chinese Amazon   
female. He stared from where he stood, his dark green coming face to   
face with her light violet eyes. Both pairs speaking volumes with   
unspoken words.  
  
So, he turned around and continued sweeping as though nothing ever   
happened at all, nothing at all. Shampoo on the other hand, had much   
to say as she quietly spoke out her question.  
  
{Did you always hold back when we fought?}  
  
Mousse stopped what he was doing, and without even turning around,   
he answered her. {You know the answer.}  
  
Shampoo looked down at the floor and thought over the times that   
she remembered him fighting. All the fights where he held his own   
ground against Ranma, Ryoga, the occasional Super martial artist   
villain that crossed their paths, etc. Some of the opponents she had   
no chance against at, unless she trained hard, and yet, he... always   
held his ground. On a few occasions he even beat those who beat her   
easily.  
  
The answer to her own question, she knew it, she just didn't want   
to believe it. At least, not then. She was the champion of her female   
generation and the women were always the better fighters of the   
village. They were the superior gender, always had been and will be,   
it was always like that way since she had been taught from childhood.   
Yet he was always beat her.  
  
Looking back up to the rigid posture of the standing male Amazon   
she knew as Muu Zhuu. He was right, she knew the answer to her own   
question, though, the question now was why?  
  
{Why?}  
  
Mousse stood as he was, a faint glow about him as he continued to   
speak and answer her. {Why? Simply because you would not be able to   
handle the true capacity of what I can do.}  
  
At this very statement, Shampoo's meager demeanor changed as she   
became enraged by his underestimating her skills. She let go of the   
blanket around her and launched in a flying dragon kick, to which she   
missed. As she landed and tried to attack again, she stopped as she   
felt the cold feel of metal at her throat. Looking down, she saw that   
Mousse was hold one of his katana's at her throat as he held her left   
arm behind her back. He had attacked so quickly, she hadn't even felt   
him behind her.  
  
{You see.} He simply spoke as though it were no more simpler than   
explaining that the sky was blue and water was wet. He said it with no   
passion but just the simplicity of the words.  
  
And she did, she realized that Mousse had been holding back every   
time they fought. She could almost feel like she wanted to cry at that   
moment. Anybody would, to suddenly realize that after years of working   
hard, believing what you believe and then have it all thrown in your   
face. To achieve so great after working so hard only to have what is   
considered the weak, proven stronger than you. She soon became enraged   
and attacked again as she got herself free.  
  
Mousse leapt into the air and landed away from her some five feet   
as turned around and glared at him. Looking at her with his emerald   
grey eyes, he reached into his black robes and pulled out two   
boundaries, her special choice for weapons. Throwing them into the   
air, they spun as they flew at her, only to be caught by her slender   
hands.  
  
Testing the weight of her weapons, Shampoo discarded the blanket   
that covered her and took on a stance. Mousse simply stood his ground   
and looked at her with a stone cold mask of emotionless features. He   
simply nodded to her and accepted her challenge of skill as he simply   
budged an inch and let his arms rest at his sides.  
  
Shampoo smiled in triumph as she thought she would now get a chance   
to use her full force on him. No more holding it all back and in check   
as he had accepted the challenge and she would win. Her face turned to   
disappointment and fury as the bo he used earlier to defeat Ranma,   
appeared out of nowhere. It now stood in the path of her cranial head   
strike, a definite knockout blow.  
  
She flew back in a graceful leap and skidded to a halt some three   
feet away. _Damn! Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought._ Her   
thoughts were interrupted as Mousse spoke to her.  
  
{Xian Pu, let us take this out to somewhere where we can fight at   
the full extent of our abilities.} He turned around and began   
sprinting to the kitchen and out the back door. She looked at him in   
fury and followed, making it in time to catch his shadow and the tail   
of his robes as he leapt to the rooftop. She followed too.  
  
Catching a glimpse of his retreating form, she took to the   
remaining rooftops, in hot-purist of her opponent.  
  
***  
  
After about nearly twenty minutes of jumping from rooftops, to the   
open space trees of the Japanese forests and soon stopped. As she   
landed and took her balance on the ground, she noticed that they were   
in a clearing in the middle of nowhere. The obvious remains of   
shattered rocks and fallen tree branches told her where she was   
though. This was his personal training grounds.  
  
Mousse stood some ten feet away from her, his back to her and   
long folds of his black robes, which were much in the same fashion as   
his old white ones, flapping in the wind. He turned to her and stood   
glaring at her with a look in his eyes that nearly made her wanna   
cower before him.  
  
_Snap out of it Xian Pu, you are the female warrior of the   
Amazons,..._ she stood her ground and glared back at him. _He is only   
a male,_ "...a wannabe fighter." The last part coming in a whisper as   
she talked to herself.  
  
Mousse stood there and then bowed before her in respects from one   
martial artist to another. Then from within his robes he removed to   
billy clubs and made maneuvers with them. High arcs followed by low   
spinning swings and swats. He finished and took on a stance that   
looked much like a kung fu crane stance. His right leg held up inward   
to his bottom thigh.  
  
Then they both flew at each other in great speed and collided.  
  
The sounds of hard hits echoed through the surrounding forest, as   
his clubs clashed with the metal coat of her bondari. The round metal   
cloth covered ball on top it coming always inches from his head. She   
made a move for a low dragon tail leg sweep as she went down on her   
left leg and extended her right. Mousse jumped into the air and hiked   
both legs and then swung away as two chains flew out of his sleeve   
just as her right bondari missed where his knees would've been.  
  
Mousse fell to the ground and rolled back up to one knee and then   
ran at her again as he dropped the clubs and took out two sais. The   
side of each fork blade catching the coming down sticks and balls of   
pain. This time he made an inward leg kick to her stomach but missed.   
Though it cost the female Amazon one of her weapons. From no where   
she took out a long dagger, about five inches in length. The handle of   
pure ivory in the shape of dragon.  
  
Mousse managed to counter it and knew things would be getting   
serious pretty soon if he let her anger get the better of her. She was   
good, much better than he had really expected. After all, it had been   
a while since he's seen her go all out.  
  
_So, she has kept up practice. And here I thought living in Japan   
had made her soft._ He smiled inwardly at that moment, as he knew that   
she would make a great leader someday. His own inner anger leaving him   
in that moment for a while. Only to come back but held back with   
tempered will and control. A weapon is what he was, and it must always   
remain biased. Or as it is always said, in a manner of speaking,   
'weapons don't hurt people, people hurt people.'  
  
Sheathing his sais, he let loose an odd range of chains to which   
Shampoo avoided and got closer to her target. Then when she was about   
some ten feet away, five feathers flew from his right arm as his left   
threw out two wooden daggers to confuse her.  
  
Shampoo avoided and dodged three feathers as her dagger and bondari   
took care of the wooden blades. But her right knee got hit by the   
missing feather and caused her whole knee and lower leg to lose   
feeling. She fell toward her left leg for support. _Damn, should've   
gotten that last one. I HAVE to be faster!_  
  
Shampoo prepared herself as Mousse came walking to her and threw   
her dagger at him. A Chinese star flew from his left sleeve and   
deflected blade. She threw her remaining bondari at him and he knocked   
out of the sky with dagger of his own.  
  
When he was close enough, Shampoo smiled and launched herself at   
him with her good knee and yelled a battle cry. "Kashuu Tenshin   
Amaguriken."  
  
Mousse was at first shocked as he felt a hundred or so punches hit   
him all over his upper body. _Damn, she is Khun Lon's granddaughter,...  
should've expected this from her._ So, before the hundred and fiftieth   
punch hit in that spit second, he started blocking with his own new   
found speed. The shock of Shampoo's face was priceless as she now   
realized he was countering her attack.  
  
Breaking off her attack, she leapt into the air, allowing her body   
to be overtaken by gravity as she flipped through the air. Reaching a   
momentum of four somersaults, she landed and skidded briefly from the   
force of her own retreat. Coming to a stop, she looked at Mousse with   
a look of shock. A look, that Mousse smiled a knowing and almost cruel   
like smile. (Think of cruel like smirk, think of... a Vegiita type of   
smile.)  
  
{You assumed too much Xian Pu, if you thought I'd be no match.   
Remember my fight with Ranma a few days ago, he thought the same as   
you did now. I have surprises of my own.} Then with the last word he   
sped off blazing in a barge of a dark grey aura. His speed on his legs   
increased as a cloud of dust gushed from behind him and then only to   
reappear no more than an inch in front of her.  
  
She was startled at first but reacted quickly and thrust a strike   
out and managed to catch him off guard. Managing to connect a hit at   
him in the left shoulder. Though he leapt again into the air and cried   
a battle cry.  
  
{Air-Razor Blizzard!} A barrage of tens of hundreds of feathers   
flew from the confines of his sleeves and came at her with a fierce   
speed. Shampoo cursed under her breath and leapt out of the way and   
cried in pain as she fell off to the left. Her leg burning with pain   
as three feathers caught her in the knee, calf and ankle. Looking to   
where she had been, she could only see about five other feathers in   
the ground.  
  
A questioning look came over her face as she looked at Mousse as   
he threw a pair of grapple balls. Both spinning in the air and   
twisting around her upper body and arms, causing her to fall to the   
ground. With one of her legs out of commission and her upper body   
useless, she knew she had been defeated.  
  
A mask of indifference fell upon Mousse's face as he walked over   
to Shampoo slowly. His hair a mess but untangling itself from the soft   
blowing winds. Cuts showing through his robe, on its sleeves and   
where legs were. One or two actual gashes on the front of his chest,   
bleeding profusely. As well as a few deep bruises around his face and   
arms, were clearly visible as he got closer to Shampoo and was   
slightly impressed. Usually he would've fallen at less.  
  
When he was a few inches from her, he crouched to his knees and   
looked at her directly at her anger-filled eyes. He stood there for a   
few minutes, his dark-green eyes, boring into her soft purple ones.   
Then he spoke.  
  
"Do you wanna know why I did all this Shampoo?" He said with a   
slight case of unease, sounding like his old self and yet still cold.  
  
His question totally took her off her train of hateful thoughts as   
she did wonder, deep down, why this all happened. She shook her head   
slowly, up and down in a nod.  
  
He signed and looked down, a clear expression of pain in his face   
and eyes at that moment. But only for that moment, and then looked   
back up to the sky with the same expression he had on before.  
  
{I got tired.}  
  
Shampoo looked at him with a strange and confused look as she   
said, "What kinda of answer Mousse talking about?"  
  
Mousse continued to look at the sky as he ignored her response as   
though she had not been there. {I got tired of all the craziness that   
living here in Nerima has brought us Xian Pu. It took us away from the   
normal, or at least somewhat normal life of our village. Not just   
that,} He looked back down at his own two hands and stared at them   
sternly and said, {It has changed us too much.}  
  
Shampoo taken aback with the answer was about to speak but Mousse   
continued. {I guess I didn't wanna know how much living here was   
getting to me and think that all I really needed was to be around you.   
But even that got tiring to me, but I still hoped that it'd be enough.}  
  
He looked at her again and then crouched down to face her face to   
face, their eyes meeting. It was her first time in a while sine she   
had truly seen him, his inner soul. And it spoke volumes to her as   
they stared. {Do you remember that time I awoke with blood in my eyes,   
Xian?}  
  
She nodded, and he continued.  
  
{That.... that was my wake up call Xian Pu. My own consciousness   
was finally telling me what my heart wouldn't let my mind recognize.   
It was then, I knew........ things had to start to change. The cycle   
of madness that was started here, had to end. For once, peace had to   
come to all of us. We've been through far more than most people our   
own age should go through. More than any person of any age should go   
through.} He cast his gaze to the right and to the ground with pain   
apparent on his face.  
  
{But I guess that's the life of a warrior.} He added the last part   
in a whisper, to himself.  
  
He looked back to her with an intensity in his eyes, more so than   
she had remembered seeing in his eyes once. More than that one moment   
when he first arrived in Nerima to fight Ranma. The time when he first   
kidnapped Akane Tendo, and threatened her with the waters of from the   
Spring of Drowned Duck.  
  
{Ranma nearly lost Akane when he faced Saffron, and from what we   
know, he showed a glimpse of his true power. So, Xian Pu..... you   
should know well within your heart.... that they should not be parted.   
Should you have succeeded, he would've retaliate with enough force to   
destroy you and our entire village.} Walking over to stand directly   
over her as he looked her dead in the eyes, he continued speaking.   
{That is the.... ONLY... reason why I faced you to end his engagement   
to you.}  
  
The shocked expression on her face told him all he needed to know,   
she understood. She would fight against it, the truth; after all, it   
was natural. He continued, {You would've brought death to the Amazon   
way of life and the Amazons' themselves. Had you finished with your   
obsessed quest for his favor in victory.}  
  
Getting closer until he was now very much upon her, he spoke a   
little more seriously and quietly.  
  
"Oh.... and Shampoo......"  
  
She looked up at him as he raised his left arm up with his oak   
staff still in his arm. Most its raise half was in the air as he said,   
"Remember..... if I were an enemy,..... this would be a killing blow   
and not a knock out." He took on a dead calm expression and said, "You   
are defeated again. Train harder when you wake up."  
  
***  
  
Everything started out as a blur as Shampoo began to regain some   
sense back into the world of the living. It seemed as though she had   
been waking up like this more often than she had really ever wanted   
too. Trying to get up with both her arms only seemed to aggravate her   
body as a sharp pain shot through her body.  
  
"Owww." She shook her head slightly and started to open her   
eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the light of the afternoon. The   
very same sunlight now pouring in from her bedroom window.  
  
{Try not to move Xian Pu. You received quite a punishment from the   
the fight you were recently in.} Came the voice of the aged, old,   
Amazon Matriarch and great-grandmother of Shampoo. It sounding to her   
left, from the far corner, covered in shadow.  
  
{Ayiah, Muu Zhuu hit harder than I gave him credit for. Did you   
get the number of the wagon he threw at me?} Asked a rather pained and   
injured young Amazon. Only to have her eyes snap open at the true   
consideration of her actions. MOUSSE... HAD... BEATEN... HER. Shampoo   
turned around toward her grandmother.  
  
"Great-grandmother, where Mousse now?"  
  
Cologne looked down and knew what her granddaughter was thinking,   
again it seemed that the girl had not listened. Like the last time,   
she was assuming that she was now married to Mousse.  
  
_Hmph. Sometimes I wonder if she had preferred to marry him than   
Ranma. But...... with whats' happened lately, I wonder if I'm not to   
wrong on that idea? Its a shame of what I'll have to tell her though._   
{Xian, I'm sorry to tell you this,.... but Muu Zhuu is no longer   
here, at the cafe.}  
  
Shampoo paled slightly at what that might mean, but managed to   
regain back her control on her emotions. Rather than jump to   
conclusions, she decided to understand what was going on; for once in   
her life. Rather shakily at first, Shampoo spoke.  
  
"Great-grandmother,...... where Mousse, if Mousse not in cafe?"  
  
Cologne turned around to face her great-granddaughter in the face   
as she looked her directly in the eyes. She was going to hate having   
to tell her this, but the boy had made his desicion and stuck to it.   
She smiled inwardly as she personally thought to herself. _I can   
respect him for that, not many, be they male or female would've stood   
up to me like that. That and not lose their nerve, that is. That boy   
reminds me a lot of my old, late brother-in-law._  
  
{Xian, you may not like what I am about to tell you, but the boy   
had decided some time ago, that he would be leaving for a while.}   
Spoke the elder and ancestor of Shampoo.  
  
"What Great-grandmother mean?"  
  
"The bo... young male and I had quite a conversation after he   
brought you back from your imprompt due fight. He was carrying you   
over his shoulders while you had a rather large sized bump on your   
head. Seeing how he fought Ranma, I knew he had won fairly."  
  
Shampoo became a bit flustered at the prospect that her great-grand  
mother was taking her defeat so.... calmly. _What happened to the   
great-grandmother and Elder Khun Lon that I knew?_  
  
"What you mean Great-grandmother and stupid Duck boy had talk?"   
[WHACK] "OOOWWWWWW!!!!!"  
  
"Do not call him a boy Shampoo, because he is no longer such a   
being. He has changed much in these past few days, more than people   
who should have had done so by now. All that I know of that live   
around here, but won't mention any names."  
  
"Ok Honored Elder." Spoke a very embarrassed, humble and downcasted   
Shampoo.  
  
"As I was saying, he and I had a long talk about what has been   
going on and I gave him permission to do what he requested to do."  
  
Shampoo still looking down, but curiosity getting the better of   
her, she asked. "What Mousse ask to let do?"  
  
Cologne stood there on her staff and spoke. "He is gone from the   
Nekohanten to go back home and talk to his mother and father."  
  
"What?!?!?!"  
  
The old respected woman continued. "Afterwards he is to become an   
outsider by his choice until he feels he either feels or wants to   
return back to the village."  
  
Shampoo's eyes increased from the size of dinner plates to the   
size of car tires as she screamed out her answer. "WHAT!?!??!?!!?!?"  
  
  
To be continued...  



End file.
